Michelle Bottomley has been appointed as the new CMO of Staples in the same timescale as Staples rejects takeover bid from Cerberus Capital Management.
Dmnnews.com reported the appointment after a press release announcing Bottomley’s appointment which will see her heading marketing and promoting the North American Delivery business which makes up 58 percent of Staples total sales according to its 2016 report.
Staples B2B sales in the North American Commercial sector increased in 2015 by just over one percent despite the company’s drop in total sales by nearly six and a half percent. Staples b2b launched its Easy Button which is voice activated at this years Retail’s Big Show and is said to simplify ordering for B2B customers.
Bottomley has B2B experience having formerly worked for Mercer as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for three years and was also previously the CMO of credit card brand for Barclay card.
Shira Goodman, CEO and President, Staples, said: “Michelle brings tremendous breadth and balance in the marketing profession, and has a well-earned reputation as a leader of high-performing teams. Her strong background in business-to-business marketing, including working closely with and leading sales teams, and deep expertise in digital marketing will be critical as we transform Staples to be a solutions provider for businesses.”
Bottomley replaces Frank Bifulco who launched the B2B campaign as CMO and he intends to retire this year her appointment comes within the same timescale of Staples rejecting the takeover bid from Cerberus Capital Management claiming that it was “too low” according to Bloomberg.
Cerberus had offered $5.8 billion (€5.2 billion) but anonymous spokespeople said that Staples valued the company at a higher price. Shares for the company saw a 6.5 percent rise this week event though sales have dropped by 4.9 percent in the first quarter after 18 stores were closed in North America in the same timescale. This leaves the troubled company with 1,237 US stores and 304 Canadian stores.
Cerberus is still contemplating the deal and is looking to finance the buyout of Staples in the future.