Hot Topic names a new chief marketing officer

Hot Topic Inc. has hired Maria Comfort to be its new chief marketing officer for the Hot Topics division, which includes an e-commerce site and a network of stores.

Comfort will be responsible for buying, merchandise planning, licensing, marketing and HotTopic.com, which targets customers between 12 and 22 with an interest in rock music, pop culture and music-related apparel.

Comfort, most recently executive vice president with Cache Inc. and Lillian Rubin, will report to Hot Topic president Jerry Cook.

In addition to HotTopic.com, Hot Topic, No. 280 in the Internet Retailer Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites, operates Torrid.com, which sells apparel, lingerie, shoes and accessories for plus-size females between 15 and 29.