Charlottesville, Va. – Rick Souder, the former VP/general merchandise manager for Circuit City, has joined Crutchfield as executive VP/merchandising, a new position.
Souder, who supervised all of Circuit City’s A/V merchandising, left last year after his position was eliminated in a round of belt tightening. He had joined the No. 2 CE chain in 1987 as a TV buyer, and previously served as director of inventory management and planning for The Gap.
In his new role at Crutchfield, Souder is responsible for all merchandising, and will take a lead role in developing long-term growth strategies while continually reviewing the direct marketer’s product assortment.
Founder/CEO Bill Crutchfield said Souder’s ‘reputation for integrity, judgement and professionalism,’ coupled with his experience, will be ‘invaluable in helping elevate Crutchfield to the next level of success.’