Majestic Athletic announced two new positions, including a senior hire and a strategic internal promotion. Matthew S. Hoffman joins Majestic Athletic as vice president of merchandising and brand management, and Chuck Strom, formerly director of classic collections, has been promoted to senior brand manager.
In his new role at Majestic Athletic, Hoffman will be responsible for coordinating all merchandising functions including, strategic planning of product assortments, inventory forecasting, and retail presentation and marketing programs. He will also spend considerable time on new product and license development.
Hoffman who will report directly to Majestic Athletic president, Faust Capobianco IV, brings extensive experience in merchandising, marketing and brand management including, product development, inventory management and merchandising operations. Prior to joining Majestic Athletic, Hoffman served as a divisional merchandising manager at GSI Commerce, a developer and operator e-commerce provider, overseeing the sports licensed, branded apparel and accessories merchandising departments. Hoffman joined GSI Commerce at their initial startup, creating and launching its licensed department along with collaborating on the creation of their overall merchandising department.
Throughout his career, Hoffman has worked with major sports franchises and leagues including, the MLB, NASCAR, NFL, NHL and NBA, and sporting goods retailers including, Modells Sporting Goods, The Sports Authority, Dicks Sporting Goods and The Athletes Foot.
Hoffman is a member of the Sporting Goods Business Licensing Council. He holds a bachelor of arts in communication from Temple University and currently resides in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania with his wife, Elyse.
Chuck Strom has been promoted to senior brand manager and will assume the primary responsibility for coordination of the companys Major League Baseball-related product assortment and presentation at retail. Strom joined Majestic Athletic in 1999, bringing an extensive background in marketing, manufacturing, design, licensing, and sales. Strom most recently served as director of classic collections, helping establish Majestic Athletic as an industry leader in design and sales for the recent fashion retroapparel revival. Strom also held the position of director of special events, leading the category and Majestic Athletic through a record-breaking period that included the 2000 Subway Series.
Prior to joining Majestic Athletic, Strom held numerous positions at Starter Sportswear. As a merchandiser, Strom was responsible for managing the locker room printable program for professional and NCAA teams to wear when celebrating championships. As product manager and then senior product manager, Strom oversaw adult outerwear for retail and on-field outfitting of MLB teams and collegiate/NFL sidelines, and managed special events, outerwear, printables and headwear.
Strom holds a business administration degree in management from Southern Connecticut State University and resides in Cheshire, Connecticut with his wife, Kim.
“The addition of Matthew Hoffman and a well-deserved promotion of Chuck Strom represent our commitment to marketing, merchandising, brand management, and our dedication to business growth for each of our licensed partners,” said Faust Capobianco IV, president, Majestic Athletic. “Matt and Chuck bring extensive experience with the retailers and markets we serve. They will drive our organization in its mission of not simply maintaining market position, but ensuring that Majestics strategic partnership with Major League Baseball results in even more dramatic market leadership.”
