Dive Brief:
- Wal-Mart has named a new chief operating officer for its U.S. operations: Judith McKenna, who has served as the retailer's lead executive for its smaller format stores.
- McKenna replaces Gisel Ruiz, who will move to Wal-Mart International.
- McKenna has her roots in Wal-Mart's grocery operations. She joined the company 20 years ago as part of the management team overseeing the Asda supermarket chain in the U.K.
Dive Insight:
It's hard to say just what's going on at Wal-Mart. On the surface, this isn't an earth-shattering change. McKenna is a Wal-Mart veteran. On the other hand, her promotion comes at a strange time - right in the middle of the holiday shopping season - and follows upon the departure of the company's chief merchandising officer just days before the Black Friday shopping frenzy.
About all that can be surmised from McKenna's promotion is that the world's largest retailer does appear to be backing further away from big-box stores and embracing its Neighborhood Market format.
