Belk on Friday announced Don Hendricks as its chief executive officer. Hendricks has been serving as the company’s interim CEO since May, and was the company’s chief operating officer since 2016.
"Through my work with Belk's board, leadership team and talented associates, I believe the company is well positioned to build on its current momentum and achieve success now and in the future,” Hendricks said in a statement. “Together, we will capitalize on the demand for great products at great prices, which Belk has long been known for, all while maintaining our unwavering commitment to customers and communities."
As interim CEO, Hendricks replaced Nir Patel, who was CEO of the department store for less than a year before resigning. Patel left the department store to become the chief operating officer of GameStop.
At the end of August, Belk sued Patel and GameStop over accusations of poaching. In its complaint, the department store alleged that Patel, on joining GameStop as its COO, “commenced a campaign to solicit some of Belk’s most senior employees to resign from Belk and join him at GameStop — despite the fact that Patel had agreed, for a period of twelve months after his departure from Belk, not to solicit, recruit, or hire Belk’s employees.”
Belk also accused Tim May, a former senior supply chain executive at the company, whom Belk said was poached by GameStop and Patel, of stealing confidential information from Belk.