QVC is approaching middle age, eyeing its 40th birthday in 2026. As a TV staple, it survived the arrival of the internet age and Amazon. Still, its parent company, Qurate, has been grappling with declining earnings. As it looks to counter that trend, Qurate announced that it has hired Mara Sirhal to be chief merchandising officer for QVC US, which is the company’s largest business unit.

Qurate ranks No. 18 in the Top 1000 Digital Commerce 360 database of the largest North American e-retailers by online sales. There, Qurate is categorized as a Mass Merchant. Digital Commerce 360 projects that Qurate’s web sales will reach $5.44 billion in 2024.

Qurate web sales by year

Mara Sirhal’s new QVC role

Mara Sirhal, Chief Merchandising Officer for QVC US

Sirhal comes to QVC from Saks Off 5th, where she led merchandising efforts. She also brings more than 20 years of experience in specialty retail. She will report to Mike Fitzharris, president of QVC US. Stacy Bowe previously held the merchandising role before she was appointed president of Qurate Retail’s HSN business unit in February.

“Mara brings a unique blend of merchandising, brand and omnichannel leadership that will be critical as we continue to strengthen the QVC business through our Age of Possibility campaign,” Fitzharris said in a released statement. “As we execute on our strategic priorities and further differentiate QVC in the marketplace with our core demographic, we look forward to Mara’s customer-centricity, brand-building acumen and transformational leadership.”

In addition to personnel changes, QVC has committed efforts to reinvent itself with its core audience: women over 50. They’ve launched a marketing mantra known as the “Age of Possibility.” QVC’s new campaign platform aims to showcase life at ages 50 and over. It seeks to depict that life stage as a vibrant era full of new questions, changes, opportunities and hopes. And they have enlisted star power to help with messaging. Those celebrities include Christina Applegate, Patti LaBelle, Rita Wilson, Naomi Watts, Martha Stewart, Queen Latifah, Jennie Garth and others.

QVC’s challenges looking ahead

“I am thrilled to join QVC and look forward to working alongside this talented team to deliver incredible product and exceptional experiences for our customer!” Sirhal posted to LinkedIn.

QVC has long been known for moving cookware, beauty products and apparel. Sirhal brings a wealth of experience to that role.  She will also be in charge of  QVC’s Buying, Planning & Programming organization and lead QVC’s Design Development & Global Sourcing (DDGS) team. DDGS is an in-house capability to bring new brands, products, and concepts to life. Its efforts impact product categories in apparel, accessories, outerwear and home décor, all core QVC product verticals.

Meanwhile, Juan Pellerano, chief marketing officer of the ecommerce shipping and returns platform Swap, says QVC has faced headwinds and that doubling down on its core demographic might not be a smart long-term strategy.

“QVC has struggled to evolve with consumer shopping preferences and has chosen to reinvest in the 50+ demo rather than attempting to attract a new audience,” Pellerano said.

“Knowing QVC’s reinvestment in an aging demographic, it’s hard to envision a turnaround considering massive investor pressure from the threat of being delisted by December since they’re trading under $1 on the NASDAQ for over 30 days,” Pellerano added, saying pressure is on for a turnaround, or the company might have to go private.

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