Mara Sirhal has become chief merchandising officer for QVC U.S., which is the largest business unit of the Qurate Retail Group.
Sirhal has more than 20 years experience in merchandising, sourcing and product and brand at both department and specialty retailers, the company indicated in its announcement Monday. She will report to Mike Fitzharris, the president of QVC U.S., and succeeds Stacy Bowe who became president of HSN, another business unit of Qurate Retail, in February.
As chief merchandising officer, Sirhal will lead the merchandising strategy across all QVC product categories which are home, fashion, beauty, electronics and jewelry. “She will energize the assortment in alignment with QVC’s ‘Age of Possibility’ campaign,” which targets women 50 years of age and older and is QVC’s core demographic and has 50 ambassadors including Billie Jean King, Patti LaBelle, Queen Latifah, Martha Stewart and other inspiring women telling their stories.
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Sirhal will also oversee QVC’s buying, planning and programming organization and QVC’s design, development and global sourcing team involved in apparel, accessories, outerwear and home decor.
“Mara brings a unique blend of merchandising, brand and omnichannel leadership that will be critical as we continue to strengthen the QVC business through our Age of Possibility campaign,” Fitzharris said in a statement. “As we execute on our strategic priorities and further differentiate QVC in the marketplace with our core demographic, we look forward to Mara’s customer-centricity, brand-building acumen and transformational leadership.”
Sirhal comes to Qurate Retail Group from Saks Off 5th where she held the position of chief merchant and brand officer, leading the merchandising, planning, brand marketing and creative functions. Prior to Saks Off 5th, Sirhal held leadership roles with Bed, Bath & Beyond and Macy’s Inc., where she oversaw merchandising for a variety of categories, as well as business development and supplier diversity initiatives.
Qurate Retail is in turnaround mode. In the first quarter of this year, revenue decreased 4 percent, there was a net loss of $1 million but adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization, or OIBDA, grew 25 percent.
When the first-quarter results were reported last May, David Rawlinson, Qurate Retail’s president and chief executive officer, cited “continued momentum in our turnaround.…We are successfully delivering on our transformation initiatives to reduce costs and improve product margins while prioritizing enhanced merchandise, brand launches and celebrity partnerships which are hallmarks of the QVC and HSN brands,” Rawlinson stated. “We are focused on achieving our stated objectives throughout 2024 and positioning the business for sustainable future growth.”
