April 15, 2009 — Sam’s Club announced today the appointment of Linda Hefner as executive vice president of merchandising and replenishment. Hefner will report to Brian Cornell, president and chief executive officer of Sam’s Club, and will begin her new role effective May 15, 2009.
“Linda has a wealth of experience and successes across key and diverse merchandise categories that will complement the team’s focus on quality and value,” said Cornell. “In addition, her perspective on the consumer packaged goods industry, keen marketing insights and deep understanding of consumer needs will augment the strengths of the Sam’s Club senior leadership team. We are excited to have her on the team.”
Hefner will be responsible for overall merchandising strategy, product development and sourcing.
Hefner joined Walmart U.S. in May 2007 and currently serves as executive vice president and general manager of the Home business for Walmart U.S. Under her leadership, the Home team redefined the merchandise assortment by focusing on exclusive national and private-label brands, quality, and enhanced in-store presentation that resulted in strong positive comps.
Prior to joining Walmart, Hefner was executive vice president of Global Strategy and Business Development at Kraft Foods. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing Kraft’s corporate business strategy including merger and acquisition activities around the world. Prior to Kraft, she held multiple positions at Sara Lee Corporation during her fourteen years there (1989-2003), including group and division CEO roles for several of its apparel businesses. Linda grew revenues for these businesses through increased product innovation and consumer marketing and drove simultaneous cost reduction in manufacturing, global sourcing and logistics.
Hefner holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, as well as a B.S. and M.S. from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Hefner's successor as executive vice president and general manager of the Home business for Walmart U.S. will be named at a later date.
Sam’s Club reported annual revenues of more than $46 billion in fiscal year 2009 and operates more than 600 warehouse club locations across the U.S.
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