HBC president steps down

Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) has announced that international president Don Watros has made the decision to leave HBC effective September 29.

“With a seasoned leadership team in place in Europe and our plans to bring Hudson’s Bay to the Netherlands and Saks Off 5th to Europe coming to fruition, the time is right for me to pursue my next chapter,” said Watros. “I look forward to following the company’s continued growth.”

“We greatly appreciate Don’s contributions to HBC during his long tenure with the company, especially his work to bring HBC to Europe and support the establishment of our office there,” said Jerry Storch, CEO of HBC. “I’m pleased that we have a strong team in place to continue to execute on our strategy in Europe, as we invest in Galeria Kaufhof, grow Saks Off 5th in Germany and enter the Netherlands with Hudson’s Bay and Saks Off 5th.”

An industry veteran, Watros was with HBC for 11 years and has seen the company through major growth. He was appointed president of HBC International in January 2015. Previously, he served as president of HBC and before that as COO of the company. Prior this role, he was managing director of retail operations at NRDC Equity Partners during the acquisitions of Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay Company. Watros has also served as the chairman of the Galeria Kaufhof Supervisory Board since October 2015. The Supervisory Board will elect a new chairman at its meeting in October.