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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has promoted Duncan Mac Naughton to executive vice president of consumables, health and wellness, and Walmart.com, putting him in charge of one of four newly created core merchandising areas.
Mac Naughton had been chief merchandising officer at Walmart Canada after serving as executive vice president of merchandising and marketing at Supervalu Inc. He has over 25 years of experience in the retail and consumer packaged goods industries, including positions with Kraft Foods Inc., H.E. Butt Grocery Co. and Albertsons Inc.
“Duncan is bringing a depth and breadth of knowledge and a proven track record in the retail sector,” Walmart U.S. president and chief executive officer Bill Simon wrote in a memo to employees. “He is a great addition to the Walmart U.S. team.”
Under Mac Naughton, Scott Huff will be senior VP of consumables, while John Agwunobi remains president and senior VP of health and wellness. Scott McCall is senior VP of health and wellness merchandising, reporting to Agwunobi, while senior VP Steve Nave heads Walmart.com. Phillip Freehling will be senior director of planning, pricing and modular development for the overall area.
The other new core merchandising areas are general merchandise and replenishment, food, and soft lines. Each area is headed by an executive vice president, two of whom are incumbents and two of whom have been promoted.
John Westling remains executive VP of general merchandise and replenishment, a post he assumed in July after Simon was named to head Walmart U.S. Likewise, Jack Sinclair remains executive VP of food, while Andy Barron was elevated to executive VP of soft lines.
Mac Naughton, Westling, Sinclair and Barron and their teams “know how to create excitement in our merchandise mix,” Simon said in the memo. “They have a passion for merchandising and growing sales. For now, they will report to me, allowing me to stay close as they thoughtfully look at our merchandising opportunities.”
Simon added, “Merchandising is the very core of our business. It’s about giving millions of Americans access to everyday low prices and a broad assortment of the products and brands they want — whether they are buying in store or online.”
He said the new structure “aligns similar categories and allows us to be even more competitive in each customer channel, improving how we target and localize merchandise.”
