Dive Brief:
- Bringing prior experience in the pet, party and sporting goods categories, Brad Weston has been named as chief executive officer of At Home, the home goods retailer announced Thursday. He will begin June 3.
- Weston most recently was CEO of Party City Holdings. He served in various leadership roles at Petco, including CEO, and was previously the chief merchandising officer at Dick’s Sporting Goods.
- Weston replaces Lee Bird, who retired from the CEO role at the end of December. Additionally, Erik Ragatz will move from the executive chairman role to become the chairman of the company’s board of directors, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
As Weston enters the C-Suite, At Home will keep the rest of the company’s leadership intact. Members of the Office of the CEO, including President and Chief Merchandising Officer Jeff Evans, CFO Jerry Murray and COO Ashley Sheetz will remain in those positions.
Weston left Party City as the retailer emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which resulted in the retailer closing underperforming stores and eliminating nearly $1 billion in debt. At Home touted Weston’s prior experience leading Party City Holdings through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Weston’s tenure at Petco spanned from 2011 to 2018, including a one-year stint as its chief executive. At Home pointed to Weston’s facilitation of pet wellness, store formats and omnichannel capabilities at the retailer, pushing the business to scale during his time with the company.
“Brad’s customer-centric vision and purpose-led leadership approach align perfectly with At Home’s culture and mission to enable everyone to make their house a home,” Ragatz said in a statement. “As we enhance and expand our business, inspiring customers with a disruptive offering of a broad and differentiated selection of home and holiday products for every budget, Brad is the ideal person to drive At Home forward in our next chapter of growth.”
In May 2021, private equity firm Hellman & Friedman bought At Home Group for $2.8 billion in cash. About two years later, the retailer rolled out permanent price decreases on thousands of products such as furniture, decor and rugs, a move it made following the decline in freight prices. The retailer in October last year was on Fitch Ratings’ list of vulnerable retailers, which also included Joann and 99 Cents Only, who have since filed for bankruptcy.
