David’s Bridal is making the “biggest shift” in its 75-year history, moving away from being the traditional bridal retailer it once was to focus on a digital-first strategy.
The company on Tuesday announced that Kelly Cook, the company’s current president of brand, technology and finance, has been named chief executive officer. The appointment is effective immediately with a transition officially complete by April 1.
Jim Marcum, who has been chief executive since 2019, is stepping down from that role and will become the company’s executive chairman in addition to his current position as chairman of the board.
David’s Bridal is evolving into an asset-light company with a focus on utilizing AI to scale its retail media network, planning platform and retail strategies. The concept is dubbed the “Aisle to Algorithm” plan, with the overarching goal of expanding past the wedding dress market to become a dominant player in the $65 billion wedding industry. The company secured growth capital commitments to support the transformation.
David’s Bridal will have products in stores, but is expanding partnerships and drop-shipping offers so it can scale without having to retain additional stock.
“We are poised to become the only player in the wedding industry with an integrated retail, loyalty, media, and planning ecosystem — backed by proprietary first-party data no competitor can match,” Cook said in a statement.
That means supporting couples through every touchpoint of the wedding planning process, according to Marcum. “David’s remains steadfast in offering accessible, high-quality designs customers love while expanding into new retail categories and experiences to better serve today’s evolving wedding and special occasion market,” he said in a statement.
The company has a multi-pronged plan to achieve its transformation, including scaling its media platform, Pearl Media Network, which was launched at the end of last year and serves ad-buying wedding vendors and brands. Ninety-percent of all U.S. brides enter David’s ecosystem, according to the company. David’s Bridal wants to further capitalize on that by monetizing its reach via the network by offering brand access to the company’s first-party data for marketing campaigns that include digital, social and in-store touchpoints.
The recently acquired Love Stories TV, now called Love Stories by David’s, is part of the effort to increase the company’s social presence through wedding content, a podcast network and streaming TV.
Additionally, the company will expand into new categories this year including menswear, accessories, swimwear, luxury and couture. It will further invest in AI for personalized planning and initiatives involving vendor discovery and wedding planning.
The retailer’s change in trajectory may meet a new generation of shoppers exactly where they are, according to Brian Ehrig, partner in the consumer practice of global strategy and management consulting firm Kearney.
“Today, customers want to be reached via whatever channels they’re on. Considering that customers looking for bridalwear are typically younger, it makes sense for a legacy retailer to think about where and how best to reach them,” Ehrig said in comments to Retail Dive. “Therefore, it makes sense that a tech leader would be well positioned to reaching them where they are, for example, TikTok, Instagram, etc., compared to bringing in a leader with a traditional merchant profile.”
Other leadership changes were announced on Tuesday to support Aisle to Algorithm. Chief Business Officer Elina Vilk will lead Pearl Media Network and Pearl Planner. Chief Operating Officer Bob Walker will additionally oversee HR and supply chain. Both Vilk’s and Walker’s roles also now include the title of president.
Heather McReynolds was promoted to senior vice president of merchandising, and Viola Chan, who was recently named head of couture and design, will lead design efforts for all categories including its expansion into everyday fashion and couture.
The bridal retailer underwent multiple bankruptcies in the past few years, one it emerged from in 2019 and another in 2023, where it was then acquired by asset management firm Cion Investment Corp.
The high-touch wedding industry increasingly realized its need for tech during the height of the pandemic as a way to reach customers and expand services. David’s Bridal has responded in a number of ways, including launching a wedding planning platform with a vendor marketplace.
