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SEATTLE — Retail veteran Kathi Lentzsch has been appointed chief executive officer of Bartell Drugs. She succeeds Brian Unmacht, who resigned last spring. Unmacht was the first person outside of the Bartell family to head the company.
Lentzsch has more than three decades of retail experience, with executive positions in companies including Pier 1 Imports and Cost Plus World Market. As senior vice president of merchandising at Williams Sonoma/Pottery Barn, she led the turnaround and repositioning of Pottery Barn into a well-known premium home brand. She most recently was interim CEO of Gump’s, a luxury specialty store and direct-to-consumer retailer based in San Francisco. She also previously served as president/CEO and board member for Elephant Pharmacy, a Berkeley, Calif.-based pharmacy that complemented western medicine with alternative remedies, patient education and health consultations. Lentzsch is the fifth CEO in the company’s history.
“Kathi’s experience as a CEO and the breadth of her retail experience will be ideal for leading Bartells,” said Bartells chairman George Bartell. “She brings a record of transforming businesses through innovation and entrepreneurial agility. This will be instrumental in growing the Bartells brand as the local chain expands its reach in the Puget Sound region.”
Bartells’ roots in the Pacific Northwest reach back to 1890. Today, the retailer has more than 65 stores in the Puget Sound region, and each location features its own distinct neighborhood vibe and products.