Ross Dress for Less stores have been around in various formats since 1950. Barbara Rentler has worked at Ross for over half the chain’s existence, including the past 10 years as CEO.

The company has had a carefully crafted succession plan in place for the past year. To that end, Ross’s board of directors recently appointed retail veteran James Conroy as its next chief executive officer. Conroy is scheduled to succeed Rentler effective Feb. 2, 2025.

Addressing the transition timeline, a spokesperson for Ross, Inc., which owns Ross Dress For Less, noted that Rentler’s contract stipulated that “her term of office as Chief Executive Officer will end on January 31, 2026 (subject to ending earlier upon selection of a successor), after which she will serve as Senior Advisor for the period running through March 31, 2027.”

Initially, Mr. Conroy, according to a company press release, will join Ross on December 2, 2024, as chief executive officer-elect, when he will also become a member of the board of directors, reporting to Michael Balmuth, the executive chairman. Upon becoming CEO, Conroy will report directly to the company’s full board of directors.

James Conway, the new Ross Stores CEO

“We are excited to welcome Jim to Ross as we build on our long history of profitable growth,” Michael Balmuth, executive chairman at Ross Stores, said in a released statement.

Conroy will leave the CEO position at the Boot Barn, where he has served as CEO for 12 years.

“On behalf of the Board and all our associates, I especially want to express our sincere gratitude to Barbara Rentler for her outstanding leadership as CEO over the last decade, as well as her almost 40 years with the Company,” Balmuth added.

Meanwhile, Rentler expressed gratitude.

“I am deeply grateful not only for the last ten years, serving as CEO of Ross,” she stated.

Looking ahead, Conroy noted his optimism for the future at Ross.

“I have long admired Ross Stores’ strong customer-focused value offerings and its incredible growth trajectory,” he said.

Transition plans at Ross

The decision at Ross to bring in an outsider drew notice.

“Ross has made a bold, inspired, and smart choice in bringing on James Conroy as their new CEO, opting to go outside the organization for the role,” said Michael Zakkour, founder and chief strategist at the retail consulting firm 5 New Digital.

Zakkour says Ross has held steady as a consumer favorite in a space where tastes and styles constantly change.

“I think Mr. Conroy will strike the right balance between keeping the company’s fundamentals in place and adding new people, processes, and technologies that address a new retail paradigm,” Zakkour assessed, adding that the transition was carefully crafted which should make it go smoothly.

“This has been in the works for two years, and Ross spent a lot of time looking for a leader whose sense of culture fits the company,” he said.

Does Ross Stores sell online?

To date, Ross Stores does not sell online through its website. Though the retailer does use RossStores.com to manage credit card applications, display social media posts from customers and help shoppers to locate stores, it does not sell products there. The company faces similar dynamics as TJ Maxx owner TJX, buying excess inventory on the wholesale market to turn around and sell at stores.

TJ Maxx, however, does sell online, even as physical retail remains a focus.

TJX Cos. is ranked No. 64 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 1000 Database. The database ranks the top online retailers in North America by annual web sales.

Kaveh Vahdat, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based fractional marketing executive agency RiseOpp, praised Ross but said the company would need to focus on more digital strategies.

“For Ross Dress for Less, a new CEO will need to bring in strategies that cater to the changing retail landscape, with a focus on elevating the in-store experience and enhancing digital capabilities,” Vahdat said.

Vahdat believes that Ross enhancing its ecommerce strategy could involve taking a hybrid approach that balances affordability with digital engagement. He suggested Ross should invest in a “click-and-collect” or “buy online, pick up in store” option.

“That would allow customers the convenience of online shopping while driving foot traffic to stores — a key opportunity for cross-selling once they arrive,” Vahdat says.

Ross Stores, Inc. is headquartered in Dublin, California, with fiscal 2023 revenues of $20.4 billion. Currently, the Company operates the Ross Dress for Less home fashion chain with 1,836 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

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