May 19 - Target said on Tuesday that Jeff England, who previously held senior supply chain roles at Walmart, will become the company’s chief supply chain officer as CEO Michael Fiddelke continues to reconfigure the retailer’s leadership team to pursue greater operational efficiency and renewed sales momentum.
England will take over from company veteran Gretchen McCarthy and is scheduled to join Target at the end of this month. He currently serves as chief supply chain officer at building materials supplier QXO and spent 2004 to 2022 at Walmart in a series of roles, including senior vice president for supply chain.
The appointment is one of several senior-level changes put in place since Fiddelke became CEO in February. Other additions to the leadership roster under his tenure include Cara Sylvester as chief merchandising officer and Lisa Roath as chief operating officer.
Fiddelke has made clear that restoring growth and improving margins are priorities after several quarters of soft sales. The company earlier announced a roughly $6 billion plan focused on improving inventory management, the in-store customer experience and delivery speed. In March, Fiddelke told investors the company saw "opportunity for efficiency within supply chain" as part of efforts to boost in-stock levels and expand same-day delivery from its approximately 2,000 U.S. stores.
As an element of that strategy, Target opened its first "receive center" - described as an upstream warehouse - on April 29 in Houston. The facility is intended to consolidate vendor inventory from around the country so stores can maintain in-stock positions without causing overcrowding at stores or distribution centers.
Beyond warehouse and delivery changes, the company is directing more investment to store-level employees while trimming some corporate roles. Target also cut prices on about 3,000 products earlier this year as part of broader efforts to support sales.
The leadership changes and operational investments come ahead of Target’s quarterly results, which the company is scheduled to report on Wednesday amid a heavy retail earnings week. Investors will be watching for management commentary on consumer spending trends, including the impacts of high inflation and supply chain volatility related to the Iran war.
Context and next steps
- Jeff England will join Target from QXO and succeeds Gretchen McCarthy.
- Target has announced a roughly $6 billion plan to improve inventory, stores and delivery times, and opened its first receive center in Houston on April 29.
- Senior hires under CEO Michael Fiddelke since February also include Cara Sylvester (chief merchandising officer) and Lisa Roath (chief operating officer).