“It reminds me of the Barbie movie,” said Kimberly Lee Minor, who is the chief executive of the consulting firm Bumbershoot and has been working in the retail industry for 30 years. Of the 86 retail companies in the Fortune 1000, 13 had a woman as chief executive as of July 2023, down slightly from the year before, according to the executive recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles. Retail executives have long been quick to note that purchases are largely driven by women, who make most of the spending decisions for their households. Seventy-two percent of cashiers are women, and about half of retail salespersons are women, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That tends to perpetuate previous hiring decisions and lead to companies seeking those with experience leading a turnaround.

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Persons: ”, Kimberly Lee Minor, Bumbershoot, “, haven’t, Kathy Gersch Organizations: Fortune, Retail, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kotter Locations: U.S