Editor’s Note: Let's Hear it for the Women!

The Winter 2016 issue of Total Retail contains our annual list of the Top Women in Retail. We’ve been compiling this list for six years now (I know, hard to believe), and this year, as in years past, we’re featuring senior-level women at retail brands who have helped their companies survive and grow despite the ever-evolving industry and a less-than-stellar economic climate over the years.

There are marketing professionals, e-commerce professionals, chief executive officers and more. All of these women are currently employed at a retailer, and were chosen based on their position or scope of responsibility, accomplishments and achievements within their companies, and their involvement in the retail industry. You’ll learn about their secrets to success, as well as all sorts of interesting information about them (if I must say so myself!).

Unfortunately, the number of high-ranking women retail leaders isn’t growing as fast as we hoped when we started this list six years ago. In fact, in some cases we’ve seen the opposite. Last year, for example, we saw the departure of several high-profile women retail leaders, including Carol Meyrowitz at TJX Cos., Kay Krill at ANN Inc., and Marissa Webb at Banana Republic.

Furthermore, only seven retailers were featured in Forbes’ 2015 list of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” which ranks the women by dollars, media presence and impact. (And most of last year’s honorees have been featured several years in a row.) They are: Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of retail and online stores for Apple (No. 25); Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam’s Club (No. 65); Tory Burch, CEO and founder of Tory Burch (No. 73); Diane von Furstenberg, owner and fashion designer of Diane von Furstenberg Studio, L.P. (No. 75); Carol Meyrowitz (No. 76); Miuccia Prada, owner and fashion designer of Prada (No. 79); and Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx (No. 91).

We here at Total Retail believe there are plenty of powerful women in the retail industry, and there are many more rising in the ranks. In fact, this year we were inundated with women to choose from, and that’s why we’re celebrating them again!