Best & Less has secured The Iconic CEO Erica Berchtold, who will join the Australian retailer as chief exective on September 4, 2023.
Berchtold has been CEO of The Iconic since 2019 and has reportedly grown the business to over $700 million in net annual revenues.
Prior to The Iconic, Berchtold was managing director of Super Retail Group’s Rebel sporting goods division, which now has 155 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Berchtold also worked for Specialty Fashion Group as general manager for Crossroads and Autograph, two women’s fashion apparel brands with more than 200 stores across Australia.
The executive has received industry recognition throughout her career, including #3 in the Top 50 People in e-Commerce awards for 2023, being nominated for the NSW Women of the Year Awards and made #2 in Ragtrader’s Tech 20 list for 2023.
Elsewhere, Berchtold is a council member of the Australian Retailers Association and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
“After an extensive global search, I am delighted to announce Erica Berchtold as the next CEO of Best & Less Group,” Best & Less executive chair Jason Murray said. “Erica’s strong retail experience and track record of delivering profitable growth in a variety of retail markets, alongside her proven leadership skills, makes her the ideal candidate to lead the business through its next phase of growth.
“The Board has been extremely impressed by Erica’s passion for our customer and category, and her value creation mindset.
“We look forward to working closely with Erica and BLG’s senior leadership team to deliver our strategy to extend our market position in the value retail apparel segment.”
Berchtold said she looks forward to joining BLG at such a crucial time in the company’s growth journey.
“The team has done a fantastic job to build strong foundations for future growth, and I am excited by the challenge of executing the next phase of our growth strategy,” she said.
“BLG’s brands are synonymous with quality and value and having a close affinity with mum and her family.
“As a mother of three young children myself I can personally attest to that and I look forward to deepening that relationship further to move us closer to our goal of being the number one choice for mums.”
Berchtold will join BLG on September 4, 2023 after serving out her notice period.
Murray will remain as executive chair until she joins, where he’ll then return to his role as non-executive chair.