Dive Brief:

• Women’s apparel retailer Chico’s FAS, Inc. has tapped Miki Racine Berardelli as president of digital commerce, chief marketing officer, and executive vice president. Berardelli was chief marketing officer at Tory Burch and, previous to that, senior vice president of marketing at Ralph Lauren.

• Meanwhile, the Financial Times quotes unnamed sources regarding a potential move to private ownership for all or part of Chico’s business. The retailer is reportedly in talks with potential private equity groups.

• The Fort Myers, FL-based retailer’s businesses include include namesake Chico’s, White House/Black Market, Soma Intimates, and Boston Proper. The company runs more than 1,370 North American stores.

Dive Insight:

This talk of Chico’s FAS, Inc. going private is in its early days; so far there are no filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission or even sources willing to go on the record. The move could help the retailer by providing flexibility that it doesn’t now enjoy as company beholden to shareholders, experts said. As a privately held company, Chico’s could more easily move into menswear, for example, a relatively healthy sector in retail.