Julie Barber named chief merchant at Walmart U.S.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Julie Barber has been appointed chief merchant at Walmart U.S. She had been chief merchant at Sam's Club.

She brings extensive experience to her new role, having achieved significant success in areas ranging from financial services to health and wellness and general merchandise. 

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"I’m honored to step into the role of Chief Merchant for Walmart U.S., leading the team that serves as the personal shoppers for America," she posted on LinkedIn. "Retail is changing fast and expectations keep rising — and this is THE team you can count on to bring even more high-quality, affordable, trend-right items and brands to Walmart.

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"After more than 20 years here, I’m incredibly grateful for the Walmart and Sam’s Club associates who’ve shaped this journey and for the trust placed in me. Proud, humbled and excited to work alongside so many talented associates as we build what’s next."

Barber joined Walmart in 2004 as a retail analyst with the services team after graduating from the University of Arkansas. Her tenure has included learning the intricacies of the financial services business and leading the Walmart merchandise innovations team as senior strategy manager.

In 2012 Barber transitioned to the merchandising team as a senior buyer in fresh and frozen poultry, and she was honored as the Buyer of the Year for food. In 2016 she was promoted to VP of snacks, followed in 2019 by another promotion to senior VP of merchandising for health and wellness. 

Barber led the health and wellness portfolio within merchandising both in stores and on walmart.com during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing an instrumental role in achieving omnichannel market share growth. She also worked with health insurance companies to develop a Walmart Directed Spend program that allowed patients to use their health benefits on food and consumable products.

In early 2022, Barber took on leadership of hardlines merchandising, and she was promoted later that year to executive vice president of general merchandise, where she was instrumental in driving Walmart’s GM business to new heights in assortment.