Bloomingdale’s Names James Newell Men’s GMM

Musical chairs isn’t just for creative directors at luxury European fashion houses, retailers are also playing the game.

The latest is Bloomingdale’s, which named James Newell vice president and general merchandise manager for men’s apparel, shoes and accessories. Newell succeeds Daniel Leppo who left Bloomingdale’s this spring to join its sister company, Macy’s, as senior vice president and GMM of men’s and kids.

Newell, who officially joined Bloomingdale’s earlier this month, had been vice president and divisional merchandise manager of men’s designer and sportswear at Saks Global for three years. He exited Saks in April. Before that, he had been vice president and DMM of Rent the Runway and he also worked for Barneys New York for four years as well as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus over the course of his career.

At Bloomingdale’s, Newell will report to chief merchant Denise Magid and will oversee tailored clothing, designer, contemporary, shoes, accessories and private label.

Newell, who is known for balancing creativity and commerce, has built a reputation for helping emerging designers build their businesses, cultivating exclusive collaborations and creating elevated assortments, the company said.

“James brings a thoughtful, strategic approach to the business with a deep understanding of the men’s market,” Magid said. “He’s an exceptional merchant with strong relationships across the designer community and a clear sense of how to connect with our customer. James is joining at such an exciting time for the brand, as we continue to strengthen our merchant organization with incredible talent. We’re excited to have him help lead the next evolution of our men’s business.”