Reitmans has brought on a marketing leader with a background ranging from Walmart to Google, less than a month after announcing a net loss in its fourth quarter.
The company announced late last week that Jonathan Levitt will be the first CMO for Reitmans Canada (RCL), which owns Penningtons, Addition Elle, RW & CO., Thyme Maternity and Smart Set. Michael Strachan, meanwhile, was appointed president for the Reitmans division.
Levitt’s experience as a CMO includes similar roles at feedback software vendor OpinionLab and Sonic Boom, the digital subsidiary of National Public Relations. Most recently he worked as head of R&D at Media Experts.
On his LinkedIn profile, Levitt describes himself as a marketer at the core, with a passion for disruptive technologies and new market development.
“I believe strongly in the ‘what if.’ I’m a part gut, but mostly data driven strategist who believes that customer experience is the new marketing,” he writes. “Brands today are being forced to use new and innovative ways of engaging their target markets and retaining their existing customer base. I help companies get there. I build brand and demand.”
Walter Lamothe, president, retail and chief operating officer of RCL, echoed the same sentiments in a statement regarding Levitt’s hiring.
“Jonathan will support the company’s commercial growth by making sure RCL has the right tools and the right strategies at the right time on the platforms our customers choose to interact with us,” he said.
Levitt is joining the retailer as it continues to fight off the effect of a weak Canadian dollar, though there are signs it is getting traction in the move towards omnichannel. For example, ecommerce rose 54% in the last quarter compared with a same store sales increase of 9%.
