EXECUTIVE MOVES
Wet Seal Announces New Digital Czar
The Wet Seal Inc. is going to make e-commerce a much bigger deal in its juniors business.
The Foothill, Calif.–based retailer announced recently that it created a new position, chief digital officer, to increase its e-commerce, which is one of the brightest spots of its business. On Sept. 25, it was announced that Jon Kubo would serve as Wet Seal’s first chief digital officer and executive vice president.
Kubo will direct e-commerce, digital marketing and the information technology organization, according to a Wet Seal statement. Kubo is also a Wet Seal veteran. From 2005 to 2011, he served the retailer as its chief information officer.
Ed Thomas, Wet Seal chief executive officer, said Kubo will build sales in a tough category.
“I am excited to bring Jon back to lead our critically important e-commerce business, along with digital marketing and information technology. Jon’s tremendous vision and innovative leadership during his prior Wet Seal tenure resulted in the most successful e-commerce performance in the company’s history. We are confident that Jon’s expertise will return us to the forefront as an e-commerce leader within the teen retail space,” Thomas said in a statement.
E-commerce is acknowledged as a growth category for Wet Seal. Net sales for the retailer’s e-commerce increased 11.4 percent for the 13 weeks that ended on Aug. 2, according to financial documents. During the same time, comparable-stores sales decreased 12.4 percent.
