Sascha Bopp to succeed Barbara Turf as Crate and Barrel CEO

Marta Calle to become president when Turf retires

Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, November 11, 2011

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — President and CEO Barbara Turf plans to retire after 40 years with home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel and will be succeeded by company executives Sascha Bopp as CEO and Marta Calle as president, the retailer announced.

Turf's departure is planned for early spring. Calle, who will be in charge of merchandising and marketing, will report to Bopp when they assume the new positions in April.

Bopp is currently chief operating officer and Calle is director of CB2, a Crate and Barrel retail concept.

In its announcement, the company said Turf has played an integral role in the growth and success of Crate and Barrel. She was named president in 1996 and CEO in 2008. During her tenure, she spearheaded the launch of CB2 in 2000 and introduced children's retailer The Land of Nod to the Crate and Barrel family of brands in 2001.

Before joining the retailer in 2009, Bopp was managing director and chief financial officer at Primondo GmbH, a $6 billion German multi-channel retailer.

With more than 20 years of retail experience as a buyer and product developer, Calle joined Crate and Barrel in 2000 as a product development consultant. She took on the leadership of CB2 in 2004 and was named director in 2008. The company said Calle has grown CB2 into a multi-channel business across the U.S.

"Thanks in large measure to Barbara Turf's leadership as CEO and president, Crate and Barrel is well-positioned to extend our reach as a global home furnishing brand
and design leader," said Hans-Otto Schrader, CEO of the Otto Group, of which Crate and Barrel is a part.