Target is strengthening its design and merchandising teams with two leadership appointments. Gena Fox has been named senior vice president, design at Target. Most recently, she was senior vice president, apparel and accessories at the retailer. She is succeeded in that merchandising role by Tara Russell.
The moves are effective Sunday.
As head of design, Fox, who succeeds Jenny Breeden, will be responsible for setting the agenda for how Target shows up in culture, trend and across their own brands. She will set direction and influence across the enterprise — merchandising, brand and marketing — in order to deliver one cohesive point of view. Fox will work alongside Target’s merchandising and marketing leaders.
Throughout her career Fox has helped shape and scale several of Target’s most impactful owned brands, including Threshold in home and A New Day, Universal Thread, Wild Fable, All in Motion, Cat and Jack, and Shade and Shore in apparel and accessories. She has also contributed to high-profile, limited-time collaborations such as those with Kate Spade, Parke and Roller Rabbit, helping drive cultural relevance and strengthening Target’s position in style.
Having joined Target in 2000, Fox has worked in a variety of merchandising and buying positions of increasing responsibility, rising to senior vice president, apparel and accessories, a role she held for more than six years.
Cara Sylvester, the retailer’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said, “We’re in a new chapter, focused on returning to growth and leading with merchandising authority. We have incredible talent at Target, and these moves put these leaders in the right roles to position us to do so. We’re continuing to invest in incredible style-led product and experiences for our guests, led by a team of leaders who bring vision, creativity and deep expertise to the work.”
As Fox moves into her new role, Russell, a 14-year veteran of Target, will lead merchandising as senior vice president, apparel and accessories, after spending the past several years in visual merchandising and guest experiences, most recently as vice president, guest experience strategy and operations. Before that she was vice president, visual merchandising and style.
In her most recent role, she led the transformation of Target’s SoHo store, which opened last December, which displayed an updated focus on style and design.
Tara Russell
Courtesy of Target
As reported, Target remodeled its store at 600 Broadway in New York, transforming what was a typical grab-and-go location with a tight edit of its women’s apparel assortment, a sharper beauty offering and a different approach to presentation. Shoppers enter the 26,000-square-foot store into a round tunnel-like corridor, a journey into the bull’s-eye. Target’s signature red is everywhere, but looks more muted and refined on the formed fiberglass foam walls.
In other appointments, Cassandra Jones has expanded her role to include merchandising authority plan and activation, in addition to leading Fun 101. She has been senior vice president, Fun 101, for the past two years, where she leads the strategy, product development and business performance across tech, books, music, entertainment, gaming, sporting goods and pop culture. In her new position, she is expected to play a key role in connecting people, process and strategy so Target can execute more effectively as one merchandising team.
