C&A has appointed Edward Brenninkmeijer as interim CEO and said it is now searching for a permanent successor to Boer.
Boer joined C&A in 2021, having previously worked at companies including Swedish retail giant IKEA and Dutch wholesaler Geertjes.
C&A said the outgoing CEO had "successfully led the business out of the Covid-19 pandemic," and initiated the refurbishment of more than 800 stores, while also readying the company for its "next phase of transformation".
Interim CEO Brenninkmeijer previously served as CEO of C&A Brazil, Mexico and China, as well as led C&A Europe as an interim CEO before Boer joined the company in 2021.
In a statement, Allan Leighton, chairman of C&A’s BV supervisory board said: “We are grateful to Giny Boer for bringing her energy, vision and 25 years of retail expertise to the transformation of C&A Europe.
"Any transformation on this scale is challenging, but to lead that coming out of the pandemic and at a time of extraordinary change for fashion retail deserves special credit. We thank Giny for her dedicated service, her great commitment to the brand and the company, her lasting achievements and valuable contribution and wish her every success for what comes next.”
Boer added: “It was a true privilege for me to work for this iconic brand C&A. I am proud that together with the teams I strengthened the image of C&A through modernisation. We did this while staying true to the DNA of high-quality and affordable fashion, produced in a sustainable way. I am leaving with the confidence that with the achievements of the past almost four years, we have set the sails for a continued sustainable growth for C&A in an ever challenging environment.”
Writing on LinkedIn, she added that the decision to continue her career “in a different way” had not been an easy one.
She said: “C&A is making great strides to become a modern European omnichannel fashion retailer, and I am very proud of all our achievements through these intense past years, where the effects of the pandemic accelerated our push for a comprehensive transformation of the business.
“Our stores have undergone a complete modernisation and we dramatically improved our customer experience. Together, we have expanded our position as an omnichannel retailer, and amongst other things, we’ve successfully introduced our membership programme. I’m especially proud of my Young Professional Board, a group of 15 young talents with whom I started the collaboration with Rangsutra, the amazing capsule collection empowering female artisans in India.”
In 2023, C&A announced that it was working with Coats Digital to introduce standardised time, method, cost, and capacity forecasting throughout its supplier network and improve its sourcing process.
In 2022, C&A Europe announced its subsidiary, clothing manufacturer Canda International was to close operations due to the decline in formalwear after the pandemic.
