Western apparel merchant Sheplers has named QVC executive Bob Myers as its new CEO. Myers is the permanent replacement for Mark Syrstad, who left the company in September.
Myers has been senior vice president of QVC.com, multimedia platforms, broadcast operations and technology, and is credited with building the company’s e-commerce business to over $1 billion in sales while leading a team of more than 600 people. Before that, Myers spent 15 years working in store operations, merchandising, advertising and strategic planning at J.C. Penney.
“We were looking for someone who has good depth and experience in bricks and mortar, someone who is a next-generation thinker in e-commerce and has a good orientation in cross-channel customer needs,” says Dennis O’Brien, an operating partner at Gryphon Investors, the holding company that owns Sheplers. O’Brien had acted as CEO since Syrstad left in September, and was in charge of the search for his replacement.
Though Myers has DRTV experience through his time at QVC, O’Brien says the DRTV channel is not in Sheplers’ immediate plans. O’Brien believes there are opportunities to grow its 19-store bricks-and-mortar channel, but the direct business is a key component.
Most of Sheplers’ direct sales come in through the Internet, but O’Brien says there are no plans to reduce catalog frequency. “The catalog is still an important part or our marketing strategy, and it helps us drive sales to the stores and the Web,” O’Brien says.