Five Below Names Retail Veteran Its New CEO
Five Below has named Winnie Park the retailer’s new chief executive officer and member of the company’s board of directors.
Most recently, Park has served as CEO of Forever 21 since January 2022. Under her leadership, the brand launched its omnichannel capabilities, social commerce, and a metaverse partnership with Roblox. She also expanded categories beyond women’s apparel to include kids, gifts, beauty, and accessories.
Before Forever 21, she was the CEO of Paper Source, where she drove the business from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to an omnichannel lifestyle brand. Under her leadership, Paper Source developed a digital presence, encompassing social media, digital content, online subscriptions, and affiliate partnerships.
Park has also held management positions at Duty Free Shoppers, Levi Strauss & Co., and has served on the board of directors at Dollar Tree.
“I’m a huge fan of the Five Below brand and its unique ability to connect with and empower teens and pre-teens through an amazing assortment of extreme-value items in a fun shopping environment,” said Park. “There is enormous opportunity to build on the exciting initiatives that are already underway as we elevate our product, value, and experience.”
Park fills the position that was vacated in July by Joel Anderson, who left the company to become the CEO at Petco. Since Anderson’s departure, Thomas Vellios, co-founder, non-executive chairman, and former CEO of Five Below, served as the retailer’s executive chairman on an interim basis.
