Ross Stores Appoints Boot Barn Chief James Conroy as CEO

Ross Stores has appointed Boot Barn President and CEO James Conroy as its CEO, effective Feb. 2, 2025.

The appointment follows a search process launched in June 2023 when Ross Stores announced its long-term CEO succession plan in which current CEO and Vice Chair Barbara Rentler will move to an advisory role as of Feb. 2, 2025, and serve in that role through March 31, 2027, the company said in a Monday (Oct. 28) press release.

Conroy will join Ross Stores on Dec. 2 as CEO elect and will become a member of the board of directors at that time, according to the release.

Before joining Boot Barn in 2012, Conroy served in various executive roles at Claire’s Stores for five years, per the release.

“Jim is a proven retail executive with a demonstrated record of developing and leading successful retail management teams and creating tremendous value for shareholders,” Michael Balmuth, executive chairman at Ross, said in the release.

“We also are confident that Jim’s track record of leveraging customer-centric retail strategies to maximize top- and bottom-line results will help drive our company’s profitable growth and shareholder value over the near and long term.”

Balmuth also thanked Rentler for her decade of leadership as CEO and her almost 40 years with Ross Stores.

“She has been instrumental in developing our current exceptional merchandising and operational organization that has set a strong foundation for continued growth,” Balmuth said in the release. “We are grateful that we will also be able to benefit from Barbara’s expertise in an advisory capacity over the next few years.”

Ross Stores reported second quarter results in August that showed that the company’s total sales for the period were up 7% while its comparable store sales were up 4%, showing resilience in a competitive market by offering value to budget-conscious consumers.

Boot Barn said in a Monday press release that Conroy plans to step down as its CEO and president and as a member of its board of directors effective Nov. 22.

Boot Barn’s Chief Digital Officer John Hazen will assume the role of interim CEO at that time, and Chairman of the Board of Directors Peter Starrett will assume the role of executive chairman, according to the release.

Starrett said in the release that Boot Barn’s board will conduct “an internal and external search before making a permanent decision on our next CEO.”