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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart chief merchandising officer Duncan Mac Naughton is leaving the company, chief executive officer Greg Foran said in a company memo announcing changes in the retailer’s merchandising team.
Walmart chief merchandising officer Duncan Mac Naughton is leaving the company, chief executive officer Greg Foran said in a company memo announcing changes in the retailer’s merchandising team.
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Duncan Mac Naughton |
In the Nov. 25 memo, obtained by MMR, Foran said Mac Naughton "has decided to leave the company to pursue new opportunities. I’d like to thank him for everything he’s done for Walmart, and specifically our U.S. business."
Mac Naughton joined Walmart in 2009 as chief merchandising officer for Walmart Canada. In October 2010 he was named executive vice president of merchandising for Walmart U.S., where he was responsible for consumables, health and wellness, and Walmart.com. He became chief merchandising officer for U.S. stores in January 2011.
Before joining Walmart, Mac Naughton held leadership roles at Kraft Foods Inc., H-E-B and Albertson’s Inc. He also served as executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Supervalu Inc.
Also in the memo, Foran announced changes in responsibilities for Walmart’s merchandising team. The moves include the following executives, who will report directly to Foran:
• Steve Bratspies will transition from his role as executive vice president of general merchandise to executive vice president of food, including a "strong focus" on fresh, according to Foran.
• Andy Barron will retain his role as executive vice president of softlines and assume responsibility for general merchandise.
• Michelle Gloeckler will remain executive vice president of consumables and U.S. manufacturing. Also, now reporting to Gloeckler will be Labeed Diab, senior vice president and president of Walmart’s health and wellness business.
• Remaining in their current roles are John Aden, executive vice president of sales innovation, and Scott Huff, executive vice president of merchandising operations.
• Jack Sinclair will help transition the food business over the coming weeks before taking another role within Walmart, to be announced at a later date.
Walmart doesn’t plan to name a new chief merchant at this time, Foran said, adding that the merchandising team changes will allow him "to get closer to the merchandising organization."
He noted that Mac Naughton’s leadership has established better collaboration between marketing and merchandising.
"This has made us more relevant to and focused on our customers. I also think it’s important to recognize Duncan for his leadership in re-engaging with our suppliers to develop joint business plans. This work is resulting in better and more localized assortment in our stores," Foran said. "In partnership with the operations team, Duncan has driven customer-centric innovations that we will build from to move forward."
