In episode 519 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jillian Cueff, chief merchandising officer at Claire's, a global specialty retailer known for tween and teen fashion accessories, costume jewelry, and iconic ear-piercing services. Listen in as Cueff shares how she's implemented her own vision for the brand's merchandising organization (1:25) and how Claire's taps into new trends quickly to stay relevant (2:20). She discusses how the tween brand welcomes both nostalgia and newness in its merchandising strategy (5:10), as well as the connection between merchandising and its reimagined piercing experience in stores (6:15).
In addition, Cueff details why Claire's bet on physical retail (8:00), how it's expanding distribution beyond its own stores while maintaining the distinctiveness of the brand (11:05), and the customer feedback channels that help her team tap into new trends (12:19). Lastly, Cueff touches on the lessons she's taken from prior senior merchandising roles at Walmart and Macy's, as well as what she's brought with her to transform Claire's (13:42).
Jillian Cueff is the chief merchandising officer at Claire's, leading one of retail's most closely watched brand transformations. She joined in January 2026 and has been rebuilding the company's merchandising strategy around the piercing equity that has defined Claire's for generations, while resetting the assortment for the Gen Alpha customer driving the brand's next chapter. Before Claire's, Cueff co-founded Ignited Industries, a merchandise and brand partnership company building unique product assortments for touring artists, festivals, and consumer brands.
Cueff is a fashion retail leader with 25 years of experience translating trends into commercial, accessible products at every price point. At Walmart and Macy's, she ran multibillion-dollar businesses and was named vice president of the year at both companies, building merchandising organizations that pair trend instinct with operational rigor and move quickly without losing margin discipline. She builds commercial engines that translate cultural moments into scalable, profitable assortments. At Claire's, that scope spans the full merchandising stack, from buying and planning through sourcing, quality control and product development.
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