Mark Walsh, the former CEO of Vestis Retail Group (Eastern Mountain Sports/Bob’s Stores), has been appointed chief executive officer of the Avenue brand of women’s plus-size fashion apparel, footwear and accessories.
The hiring follows Sports Direct’s acquisition of Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores out of bankruptcy proceedings in May 2017. Versa Capital Management, which was the former owner of EMS and Bob’s Stores, acquired Avenue in 2014.
At Avenue, Walsh succeeds Liz Williams, who has led Avenue through an extensive renewal and profitable growth transformation over the past six years.
Walsh was president of Vestis Retail Group (Bob’s Stores, EMS, Sport Chalet) from January 2013 and headed Bob’s Stores from October 2018 to January 2013.
Walsh’s executive leadership experiences also includes group president of Liz Claiborne, and executive vice president of e-commerce and strategic planning at J. Crew Group Inc. He has also held executive positions in marketing and finance for Citibank, N.A. and Pepsico, Inc.
