Performance Bicycle appointed James Hilyard as vice president of visual merchandising.
Hilyard, who will be responsible for guiding store design and guest experience, will play an important role in fulfilling the brand vision of the nation's largest specialty bike retailer. With more than 20 years of experience in branding and visual merchandising, Hilyard brings his expertise to Performance at a time when the company is rolling out an innovative store design that aims to make cycling retail more fun and user friendly for both avid riders and beginning cyclists.
“Our stores are going through a big-time transformation, and James comes to us with exactly the right experience,” said Ken Brugh, vice president of Real Estate and Store Environment. “We are revamping Performance stores to make them the premiere destination for all levels of cyclists. James will make sure that we provide the best possible guest experience and make an impact with people coming into the stores.”
Hilyard's two decades of branding and merchandising experience includes a strong focus on store, fixture, and signage design. Most recently, he served as Director of Signing at Sears Holdings, and has held previous visual merchandising positions with ShopKo, Golfsmith, and Kinko's, now FedEx Office.
“We are out to demystify cycling,” said Jim Thompson, CEO of Performance Inc. “At its heart, the evolving Performance brand is all about creating a positive guest experience. James's experience and success in visual branding will help us make good on that promise.”
Performance Bicycle has more than 95 nationwide stores.
