Five Below Appoints Lastinger as Chief Retail Officer
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 2 days ago
0mins
Five Below appointed Rodney Lastinger as Chief Retail Officer and Christos Yatrakis as Chief Legal Officer. Lastinger will be responsible for leading the operational performance of the company's network of nearly 2,000 stores and will join Five Below on June 22. Yatrakis will oversee the company's legal function and joined on June 15. Both executives will report to Kenneth Bull, COO. Lastinger most recently served as COO at GNC, where he directed operations across more than 2,200 franchise and corporate stores nationwide. Prior to GNC, Lastinger served as President, Retail, at Conn's Home Plus. Earlier in his career, Lastinger spent 18 years at Target Corporation, progressing through roles of increasing responsibility to Senior Vice President, Stores. Yatrakis most recently, he served as Chief People & Legal Officer at Allbirds. Prior to Allbirds, Yatrakis held senior legal and operational roles at Gymshark USA, including General Manager, North America, and at Arrow Electronics, where he served as Vice President, Legal Affairs.
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Analyst Views on FIVE
Wall Street analysts forecast FIVE stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 191.260
Low
132.00
Averages
193.47
High
242.00
Current: 191.260
Low
132.00
Averages
193.47
High
242.00
About FIVE
Five Below, Inc. is a specialty value retailer offering merchandise targeted at the tween and teen demographics. Its assortment of products, including select brands and licensed merchandise. It is engaged in offering a group of products, including leisure, fashion and home, and snacks and seasonal. Leisure includes items such as sporting goods, games, toys, tech, books, electronic accessories, arts and crafts, and party. Fashion and home include items, such as personal accessories, attitude t-shirts, beauty offerings, home goods and storage options. Snack and seasonal include items, such as seasonal goods, greeting cards, candy and other snacks, and beverages. It also offers its merchandise on the Internet, through its fivebelow.com e-commerce Website, offering home delivery and the option to buy online and pick up in store. It also sells its merchandise through on-demand third-party delivery services to enable its customers to shop online and receive convenient delivery.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the recent share price to the 200-day moving average provides valuable insights for investors, helping them assess market trends and potential buy or sell opportunities.
- ETF Unit Trading Mechanism: ETFs trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting liquidity and market performance.
- Inflows and Outflows Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in ETF units highlights significant inflows (new units created) or outflows (old units destroyed), directly affecting the ETF's underlying holdings and consequently its component market performance.
See More
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- Legal Leadership: Christos Yatrakis has been appointed as Chief Legal Officer, overseeing the company's legal functions and joining on June 15, 2026, bringing 20 years of experience in global public consumer companies to strengthen compliance and governance.
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- Strategic Vision for Collaboration: Both executives emphasize a customer-centric approach, with Lastinger looking to drive operational excellence for enhanced customer experiences, while Yatrakis aims to provide strategic legal counsel to support the company's ongoing growth.
See More
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- New Board Member: Five Below has appointed Robert Lynch, CEO of Shake Shack, as a new independent director, expanding the board to nine members, aiming to leverage his extensive experience in leading multi-unit consumer companies to drive growth.
- Strategic Value Addition: Lynch's executive background in renowned dining brands like Papa John's and Arby's is expected to provide critical insights for Five Below's long-term strategy, enhancing the brand's connection with customers.
- Market Expansion Potential: With over 1,900 stores across 46 states, Five Below offers competitively priced high-quality products, and Lynch's addition is anticipated to further amplify the brand's influence among younger consumers.
- Brand Vision Enhancement: Lynch expressed admiration for Five Below's unique value proposition and emphasized his commitment to collaborating with the board and management team on key strategic initiatives to strengthen brand appeal and customer loyalty.
See More
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- Five Below Growth Potential: Five Below, Inc. (FIVE) also holds a Zacks Rank #1, with an 8.1% increase in earnings estimates over the past 60 days, reflecting enhanced competitiveness in the specialty retail sector, which may attract more investor interest.
- Pitney Bowes Earnings Surge: Pitney Bowes Inc. (PBI) has experienced an 11% rise in its current year earnings estimates according to Zacks over the last 60 days, showcasing robust growth in the shipping and mailing services sector, likely boosting market confidence and stock performance.
- Industry Comparison Advantage: DaVita's PEG ratio stands at 0.65, Five Below at 1.09, and Pitney Bowes at 0.75, all indicating valuation advantages compared to industry averages, which may draw increased investor attention to these companies.
See More
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- Significant Sales Growth: Five Below's same-store sales surged 23%, driven by a 19% increase in traffic, indicating the company's success in attracting customers and laying a solid foundation for future performance.
- Improved Profitability: Gross margins widened by nearly four percentage points, and earnings per share (EPS) more than doubled year-over-year, demonstrating effective execution in cost control and sales growth, although market reactions were less favorable.
- Cautious Market Outlook: Management warned of
See More
