AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (New York) has announced that Kim Roy, previously a merchandising executive at Liz Claiborne Inc., will become president of the AnnTaylor store division on May 29. Roy will direct product design, merchandising and strategic brand development.
Roy replaces Patricia DeRosa, president and coo, who left the company in January after several slow quarters and poor holiday performance. Investors seem to be responding positively to the change; AnnTaylor's shares went up $2.75 on Tuesday, to close at $30.
For the past six years, Roy was in charge of expanding the special markets division of Liz Claiborne. Jennifer Black, an analyst at Wells Fargo Van Kasper, said she feels that Roy's experience working with lower margins could offer more structure and discipline to AnnTaylor.
In February, AnnTaylor Stores Corp. opened two presidency positions: one for the AnnTaylor division and one for Loft, the lower-priced division. No president has yet been named for Loft.