Leslie's announces Amy College as Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, effective July 20, 2025, succeeding Moyo LaBode.
Quiver AI Summary
Leslie’s, Inc. has announced the appointment of Amy College as the new Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, effective July 20, 2025. College brings over 25 years of retail leadership experience, having previously served at Petco where she held the position of Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, and at Best Buy in various merchandising roles. She replaces Moyo LaBode, who left the company on July 15, 2025. Leslie's CEO, Jason McDonell, expressed enthusiasm about College joining the team during a transformative period for the company and highlighted her strategic vision and operational expertise. Leslie's, established in 1963, is a leading direct-to-customer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care market, operating over 1,000 physical locations and a strong digital platform.
Potential Positives
- Leslie's, Inc. has appointed Amy College as the new Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, which brings experienced leadership to the company during a pivotal transformation period.
- Amy College has over 25 years of retail operations experience, including previous leadership roles at Petco and Best Buy, indicating a strong background that can contribute positively to Leslie's strategic initiatives.
- The appointment emphasizes a focus on enhancing the company's digital marketplace, an important area for growth and customer engagement in the current retail landscape.
Potential Negatives
- The departure of Moyo LaBode, the outgoing Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, may indicate instability within the leadership team, which could affect the company's operational continuity.
- The company's reliance on a new executive to drive transformation initiatives suggests potential challenges in their current strategy and execution.
- The press release emphasizes forward-looking statements filled with risks and uncertainties, which could raise concerns among investors regarding future performance and company stability.
FAQ
Who has been appointed as the new Chief Merchandising Officer at Leslie’s?
Amy College has been appointed as the Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer at Leslie’s, effective July 20, 2025.
What experience does Amy College bring to Leslie’s?
Amy College brings over 25 years of retail operations leadership experience, including roles at Petco and Best Buy.
When did Moyo LaBode leave Leslie’s?
Moyo LaBode, the outgoing Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer, left Leslie’s on July 15, 2025.
What are Amy College's responsibilities at Leslie’s?
Ms. College will oversee merchandising, supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, and the company's digital marketplace business.
What year was Leslie’s founded?
Leslie’s was founded in 1963 and is the largest direct-to-customer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$LESL Insider Trading Activity
$LESL insiders have traded $LESL stock on the open market 4 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 4 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $LESL stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- JOHN STRAIN purchased 150,000 shares for an estimated $118,500
- ANTHONY A ISKANDER (See Remarks) purchased 63,995 shares for an estimated $49,916
- SUSAN C OFARRELL purchased 31,500 shares for an estimated $25,200
- MAILE NAYLOR purchased 12,000 shares for an estimated $9,960
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$LESL Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 76 institutional investors add shares of $LESL stock to their portfolio, and 134 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- BLACKROCK, INC. removed 16,316,844 shares (-55.5%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $12,001,038
- ARIEL INVESTMENTS, LLC added 7,649,626 shares (+15.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $5,626,299
- STATE STREET CORP removed 4,736,943 shares (-56.3%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $3,484,021
- LIND VALUE II APS added 4,492,185 shares (+97.7%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $3,304,002
- ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS, LLC removed 3,136,076 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $2,306,583
- JACOBS LEVY EQUITY MANAGEMENT, INC added 2,098,221 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $1,543,241
- CUBIST SYSTEMATIC STRATEGIES, LLC removed 1,937,020 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $1,424,678
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$LESL Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $LESL in the last several months. We have seen 0 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 2 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- B of A Securities issued a "Underperform" rating on 02/18/2025
- Stifel issued a "Sell" rating on 02/07/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $LESL, check out Quiver Quantitative's $LESL forecast page.
$LESL Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $LESL recently. We have seen 7 analysts offer price targets for $LESL in the last 6 months, with a median target of $1.4.
Here are some recent targets:
- David Bellinger from Mizuho set a target price of $1.0 on 07/03/2025
- Garik Shmois from Loop Capital set a target price of $1.0 on 05/09/2025
- Dana Telsey from Telsey Advisory Group set a target price of $1.25 on 05/09/2025
- Simeon Gutman from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $1.5 on 03/03/2025
- Elizabeth Suzuki from B of A Securities set a target price of $1.4 on 02/18/2025
- Kate McShane from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $3.0 on 02/11/2025
- W. Andrew Carter from Stifel set a target price of $1.55 on 02/07/2025
Full Release
PHOENIX, July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leslie’s, Inc. (NASDAQ: LESL), the largest and most trusted direct-to-customer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry serving residential customers and pool professionals nationwide, today announced appointment of Amy College as the company’s new Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer effective July 20, 2025. In addition to merchandising, inventory, supply chain, logistics and manufacturing, Ms. College will be responsible for the company’s digital marketplace business. In conjunction with Ms. College’s appointment, Moyo LaBode, the company’s outgoing Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer has left Leslie’s, effective July 15, 2025.
Ms. College has more than 25 years of retail operations leadership experience including merchandising, supply chain and store operations. Ms. College spent nearly five years at Petco (NASDAQ: WOOF) and most recently served as Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer where she was responsible for category merchandising, enterprise demand planning, visual merchandising, owned brand product development and sourcing as well as distribution operations. Previously, Ms. College served as Senior Vice President, Operations, Strategy and Territory General Manager for Petco stores. Prior to joining Petco, Ms. College spent more than 20 years at Best Buy. During her tenure, Ms. College served in merchandising and category management leadership roles, including Chief Category Officer for the company’s home theater, smart home, digital imaging and appliances. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
“We are thrilled to welcome Amy to our leadership team at this pivotal time in Leslie’s transformation,” said Jason McDonell, Leslie’s chief executive officer. “With significant retail, merchandising and general management experience, she brings a unique blend of strategic vision and operational expertise that I am confident will help guide us through this next chapter and deliver against our transformation initiatives. I am confident her values-driven leadership style and deep commitment to customer experience will be instrumental in accelerating our progress, strengthening cross-functional collaboration and delivering results that position us for long-term success.”
About Leslie’s
Founded in 1963, Leslie’s is the largest and most trusted direct-to-customer brand in the U.S. pool and spa care industry serving residential customers and pool professionals nationwide. The company serves the aftermarket needs of residential and professional consumers with an extensive and largely exclusive assortment of essential pool and spa care products. The company operates an integrated ecosystem of over 1,000 physical locations and a robust digital platform, enabling consumers to engage with Leslie’s whenever, wherever, and however they prefer to shop. Its dedicated team of associates, pool and spa care experts, and experienced service technicians are passionate about empowering Leslie’s consumers with the knowledge, products, and solutions necessary to confidently maintain and enjoy their pools and spas.
Contact
Elisabeth Eisleben
Senior Vice President, Investor & Public Relations
Leslie’s, Inc.
[email protected]
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy, value proposition, legal proceedings, competitive advantages, market size, growth opportunities, industry expectations, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Our actual results or outcomes could differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements.
You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this press release primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2024 and in our other filings with the SEC. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time-to-time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results or outcomes could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we believe that information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, that information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.