THIS IS EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY AT 9 A.M.
The fashion-leaning high-performance and wellness operation Equinox has tapped a proven retail executive Marc Mastronardi as president.
With more than 25 years of retail experience, he was most recently executive vice president and chief stores officer at Macy’s, where he oversaw 500-plus stores and 75,000 employees across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, Columbia, India, and El Salvador. When he officially starts on Aug. 12, Mastronardi will report to Harvey Spevak, executive chairman and managing partner of Equinox Group. Equinox, Equinox Hotels, SoulCycle, Blink Fitness and E by Equinox comprise the Equinox Group.
Mastronardi will take over a post that was held by Scott DeRue, who exited the company in January to join the Ironman Group as chief executive officer.
With Equinox’s executive leadership team, Mastronardi will develop organizational strategies to fuel profitability and growth. In March, Equinox reportedly raised $1.8 billion in cash to refinance $1.5 billion worth of maturing loans. Equinox plans to open 25 outposts in the coming years including Philadelphia, Los Angeles and in the former Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Mastronardi was unavailable for an interview Wednesday, according to an Equinox spokesperson. He will be responsible for leading operational excellence, employee and member experience, financial performance, and process innovation across all club offerings. In addition to cardio equipment, weight training, virtual options and dozens of classes including yoga and Pilates, Equinox offers spa services, on-site shops and in some instances juice bars in its upscale fitness clubs. Art, fashion and luxury are key components of its branding.
For a member-focused business like Equinox, which has 107 locations including ones in London, Toronto and Vancouver, Matsronardi could be a good match. At Macy’s, he led customer experience across its global enterprise including all store operations, selling services, staffing and call centers. He was considered strategic and an agile business leader with both operational and merchandise experience that was culled over 27 years at Macy’s.
At Macy’s, Barbie Cameron, senior vice president and regional director of stores (East), will act as interim chief stores officer, according to a company spokesperson. Cameron is a 37-year veteran with the retailer.
In an issued statement, Macy’s said, “We are grateful for all that Marc has done for Macy’s Inc., and we wish him the best in his new endeavor. Under Marc’s leadership, we have built a dynamic, talented Stores leadership team and we believe his legacy serves as a testament to the Macy’s, Inc. talent pipeline and the type of tenured career that people can have at our company.”
Having risen up through the ranks, his previous roles there included having served as executive vice president of business development. That involved jumpstarting multiple initiatives in creating and expanding new business concepts, leased partnerships, diverse owner-led businesses and the restaurant organization within Macy’s nationwide. Mastronardi had also been involved in partnerships and business development.
Equinox offers members exclusive partnerships with Thorne, Provenance, Dorsia, Blade, Oura, Indagare, Bezel and StockX.
Spevak said in a statement that Mastronardi’s “strong leadership and operating experience at scale will drive a culture of continued success as we accelerate towards our next phase of growth.”
A graduate of Boston College, Mastronardi started his career in various merchant roles for the May Department stores in Boston.
