Wet Seal Prez. Maria Comfort Resigns
Maria Comfort resigned her position as president and chief merchandise officer of the Wet Seal division of The Wet Seal Inc. Comfort left the juniors retailer to pursue other career interests, according to Ed Thomas, chief executive of the Foothill Ranch, Calif.–based juniors retailer, which made the announcement on Nov. 19. Comfort had worked at Wet Seal since August 2008 and is leaving immediately. Wet Seal merchandisers will report directly to Thomas.
Thomas also announced a promotion at its Arden B division. Sharon Hughes was promoted to president and chief merchandise officer. Since February 2008, she had worked as a consultant at Arden B.
These job changes were announced when Wet Seal reported its performance for the third quarter of its 2009 year. Same-store sales for the third quarter decreased 6.2 percent for the company. Comparable-store sales for Wet Seal decreased 7.6 percent and increased 1.3 percent for the Arden B division. The company’s net sales were $141.5 million, compared with net sales of $146.6 million for the third quarter of the company’s 2008 fiscal year.—Andrew Asch
