Chico's has a familiar face

Shelley Broader is the new face of Chico's FAS in Fort Myers, but she's well known further north, in Tampa.

The women's retailer recently named Broader president and CEO, replacing the retiring David Dyer. Tampa business executives will remember Broader as the CEO who led the transformation of the aging grocery chain Kash n' Karry into modern Sweetbay Supermarkets.

After Sweetbay, Broader moved to greater corporate appointments over the last decade. That includes craft giant Michael's and Wal-Mart, where she ran operations in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Canada.

Chico's needs a dynamic leader like Broader. Although Dyer turned Chico's around when he took over in 2008, it has struggled lately with flat sales.

And for now, Broader's appointment likely will tamp down speculation Chico's may be an acquisition target. That's time she'll need to fix what ails the company.