HBC, Lord & Taylor announce organizational changes

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jun 18, 2019

Department store chain Lord & Taylor announced the departure of its president Vanessa LeFebvre on Monday, as its parent company appointed Becky Roof as Interim CFO.  

 
The now troubled department store first appointed LeFebvre as president of Hudson Bay Company’s Lord & Taylor division, in May 2018. Prior to this role, she worked for retailers such as Macy’s and online subscription retailer Stitch Fix, where she served as VP and general merchandise manager of women’s.
 
“Thank you to my Lord & Taylor team. I have such gratitude for your spirit, dedication, friendship and hard work,” LeFebvre wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “You put the customer first daily and push for progress. This hasn’t always been easy, but I am grateful for the journey.”

Her resignation was announced just one day after HBC reported weak Q1 earnings results, which dropped 3.3 percent to 2.12 billion Canadian dollars ($1.58 billion). 
 
Lord & Taylor has struggled in recent years with the rise of e-commerce prompting its parent HBC to review its strategic options, which may include a possible sale or merger, it announced back in May.  
 
The online shift has negatively affected the HBC family of brands including Hudson’s Bay and Saks Off Fifth, as well.
 
On Monday, the retail operator said that its Chief Financial Officer Ed Record is taking a medical leave of absence, effective Monday. 
 
Roof, who has previously served as interim CFO at a number of large companies and is currently a managing director at the global consulting firm AlixPartners, LLP, will take on the role of Interim CFO.

She will report to CEO, Helena Foulkes.