Anu Narayanan has been promoted to global president, Anthropologie women’s, home and retail, expanding her leadership across global merchandising and retail stores for Anthropologie.
Most recently she was president of women’s apparel, accessories, weddings and beauty at Anthropologie, which she became in 2023. Before that she was Anthropologie’s chief merchandising officer of apparel and accessories, where under her leadership her teams delivered historical highs across sales and customer acquisition.
Earlier in her career Narayanan was senior vice president and general merchandise manager, merchandising and design at La Senza, prior to which she was vice president, general manager of women’s at Old Navy. She has also held roles at Avenue Stores, Ann Taylor, Gap Inc. and Talbots.
According to the company, since joining Anthropologie, Narayanan has been instrumental in driving the retailer’s growth and evolution. Her leadership has helped shape and accelerate the brand’s strategic priorities, while elevating and expanding its portfolio of owned brands. She has been instrumental in transforming Anthropologie into a lifestyle brand, broadening categories, increasing speed to market, and deepening connection with customers.
“Anu’s leadership reflects a rate combination of creative intuition, deep customer understanding, and merchant discipline that continues to drive our business forward,” said Tricia Smith, global chief executive officer of Anthropologie Group. “I’m incredibly excited for this next chapter for Anu and confident her leadership will continue to elevate Anthropologie globally.”
Narayanan reports to Smith.
For the year ended Jan. 31, Anthropologie parent Urban Outfitters’ net sales increased 11.1 percent to a record $6.17 billion, while retail segment net sales increased 5.9 percent at Anthropologie, 7.3 percent at Urban Outfitters and 4.8 percent at Free People.
