Target confirmed on Tuesday that Jeff England will become the company's chief supply chain officer, joining at the end of the month to help drive the retailer's efforts to boost efficiency and sales. The move is part of a management reshuffle overseen by Chief Executive Michael Fiddelke, who has prioritized operational change since taking the top role in February.
England is currently chief supply chain officer at building material supplier QXO and will leave that role to take the position at Target. He will fill the supply chain leadership void left by Gretchen McCarthy, who will move into a strategic advisor role and remain in that capacity through August.
England's résumé includes nearly two decades of experience at Walmart, where he worked in a variety of roles between 2004 and 2022, including as senior vice president for supply chain. He also served as chief supply chain officer at Genuine Parts Company prior to his time at QXO.
Reporting line and mandate
At Target, England will report to Lisa Roath, the company's chief operating officer. His primary responsibility will be to accelerate Target's supply chain plans, aligning logistics, inventory and fulfilment initiatives with the turnaround program set out by the executive team. The hire comes after two other senior appointments since February: Cara Sylvester as chief merchandising officer and Roath as chief operating officer.
Fiddelke has pledged a companywide effort to reverse several quarters of weak sales. As part of that agenda, Target unveiled a roughly $6 billion program aimed at improving inventory management, enhancing the in-store experience and shortening delivery times.
Recent operational moves
Target has already taken steps to change how merchandise flows through its network. On April 29, the company opened its first receive center, an upstream warehouse in Houston designed to hold inventory from vendors nationwide. The facility is intended to support healthier in-stock levels at stores while avoiding congestion at store locations and distribution centers.
Alongside network changes, the company has reallocated spending toward store-level employees while trimming some corporate roles. Target also lowered prices on roughly 3,000 products earlier this year as part of its broader response to consumer demand and competitive pressures.
Earnings context and market backdrop
Target is scheduled to report quarterly results on Wednesday during a busy week of retail earnings. Investors will be watching for commentary on consumer spending trends amid persistently high inflation and potential supply chain disruptions tied to geopolitical developments in the Middle East.
In March, Fiddelke told investors that the company saw efficiency opportunities within its supply chain, with specific goals to raise in-stock levels and scale same-day delivery from its roughly 2,000 U.S. stores.