Walmart has made numerous changes to its management team as the company gears up for the 2015 holiday season. The retailer appointed Brett Biggs to succeed Charles Holley has the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective Dec. 31, 2015. Holley has served as EVP and CFO of Walmart since December 2010, and will continue to work with the company until Jan. 31, 2016.
As CFO, Biggs will report to Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart. Since January 2014, Biggs has served as EVP and CFO of Walmart International, where he has been responsible for international strategy and finance activities, including business planning and analysis, financial services, and support for real estate and mergers and acquisitions.
“Brett is a strong leader whose broad experience uniquely qualifies him to lead our finance and strategy areas,” McMillon said in a statement. “Having had a variety of important roles in all three of Walmart’s business segments, Brett is well prepared. He thoroughly understands Walmart’s operations, how we intend to compete in a dynamic and changing retail environment and how we can best serve customers, associates and shareholders.”
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Additionally, Walmart has appointed Steve Bratspies as Chief Merchandising Officer for its U.S. stores, effective Oct. 19, 2015. Bratspies will oversee all merchandise categories across more than 4,500 stores located in the U.S. He will continue to report to Greg Foran, President and CEO of Walmart U.S.Bratspies fills a position left vacant since 2014, following the departure of Duncan Mac Naughton.
Most recently, Bratspies served as the EVP of Food for Walmart U.S. where he overhauled the retailer’s grocery aisles with a focus on improving its fresh offerings and expanding its private brand and global sourcing capabilities.
“Going forward, we’ll continue our relentless focus on our customers — we’ll move with speed and conviction to ‘super-serve’ the millions who shop Walmart,” Bratspies said in a statement. “We will stay true to our mission by strengthening our commitment to everyday low prices, optimizing our assortment and winning at omnichannel retailing through strong partnerships with suppliers and a continued investment in our associates.”
The company selected Charles Redfield to replace Bratspies as EVP of Food for Walmart U.S., and has appointed John Furner to serve as EVP of Merchandising for Sam’s Club. Prior to his promotion, Furner served as Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Walmart China.
The executive shakeup comes at a rocky period for Walmart, with the retail giant laying off more than 400 corporate employees in October as it looks to bolster profit margins. Since July 15, there had been reports that Walmart would lay off as many as 1,000 corporate employees.
