Nordstrom Elevates Sam Lobban
Nordstrom Inc. has promoted Sam Lobban to executive vice president, general merchandising manager for women’s apparel, men’s apparel and all designer categories.
It’s a newly created position of the Seattle-based retailer, in which Lobban will “support product strategy and vision across these core categories,” the company said Friday.
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Lobban was Nordstrom’s senior vice president of designer and new concepts since 2020.
“We have a lot of confidence in Sam and are fortunate to have him on our team,” said Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer. “He is a strong merchant and approaches the business from a customer-first mindset.”
A month ago, two other senior-level appointments were made. Deniz Anders was promoted to senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and former Dick’s Sporting Goods executive Nina Barjesteh became president of the Nordstrom Product Group. Anders succeeds Scott Meden, who announced his retirement earlier this year, and Barjesteh took over responsibilities of Jen Jackson Brown, who left the company.
For Nordstrom in the first quarter, core categories including men’s and women’s apparel, shoes and designer had the strongest growth against 2021 as customers refreshed their wardrobes for occasions such as social events, travel and return to office. Improvements were broad-based across regions, with urban stores having the strongest growth. They were most impacted during the pandemic when families flocked from the cities.
Lobban started his retail career on the sales floor at Selfridges, where he was promoted to merchant roles before joining Mr Porter, where he led the designer capsule collection strategy for the retailer. In June 2018, he joined Nordstrom as the vice president of men’s fashion to support merchandising and worked on marketing, content development, store environment and the shopping experience for menswear through his brainchild, New Concepts@Nordstrom.
During his tenure, he launched 17 New Concept shops, including Dior, Fear of God, Black_Space, Union, Noah and Thom Browne. He was promoted to senior vice president of designer and New Concepts in 2020, leading all designer merchandising strategies and campaign creative across men’s, women’s and children’s categories. He is serving as a member of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund selection committee.
“Sam is an innovative merchant with a strong creative and strategic vision, deep industry experience and meaningful connections,” said Teri Bariquit, chief merchandising officer at Nordstrom.
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