After he held the office for a little less than a year, Belk announced that CEO Nir Patel has left the company to pursue other interests and that president Don Hendricks has been appointed interim CEO.
As president and COO, Hendricks has been instrumental in leading the company through the COVID-19 pandemic and spearheading the company’s initiatives to enhance its omnichannel capabilities, Belk noted.
Hendricks joined Belk in 2016 as the COO before adding stores to his responsibilities in 2019 and being named president in 2020. Prior to joining Belk, Hendricks held positions at Gymboree, Hot Topic and Torrid, including chief information officer and COO. Patel joined Belk the same year as Hendricks after serving with Kohl’s and Target, among others.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the talented team at Belk,” Hendricks said as part of the executive announcement. “I’m proud of our continued work to advance the business in numerous ways, while still keeping the wellbeing of our customers, associates and communities as a top priority.”
Belk, a privately-owned department store chain, operates almost 300 stores in 16 southeastern states as well as belk.com and a mobile app.
