BJ’s Wholesale Club names new president and COO
BJ’s Wholesale Club names new president and COO
BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. announced that Christopher J. Baldwin has been named president and chief operating officer. Baldwin will have responsibility for business operations, including merchandising, logistics, membership, marketing and club operations and will also join BJ’s board of directors.
“I am very excited to welcome Chris to the BJ’s team,” Laura Sen, BJ’s chief executive officer, said in a press release. “Chris’ record of excellence in leading large and successful organizations in the retail and consumer sectors will help us to build upon BJ’s strong heritage of offering a distinctive shopping experience and deep value proposition to BJ’s millions of loyal members.”
Baldwin brings more than 30 years of experience as an executive in the retail and consumer products industries. Before joining BJ’s, he was most recently CEO of Hess Retail Corp., an operator of over 1,300 fuel and convenience stores on the East Coast prior to its successful sale to Marathon Petroleum Corp. Before joining Hess, Baldwin served in a variety of leadership roles including president of snacks at Kraft Foods (Nabisco), president of North America at the Hershey Co., and several executive roles at Procter & Gamble.
“I am privileged and excited to have the opportunity to join BJ’s terrific team,” Baldwin said in the release. “BJ’s operates a unique and well-positioned model within the very exciting wholesale club retail channel. I look forward to working with BJ’s executives, team members, and its board of directors to help bring value to all our stakeholders.”
“We are delighted to welcome Chris Baldwin to the BJ’s team," Cameron Breitner, partner of CVC Capital Partners, said in the release. "Over a long career in the retail and consumer sectors, Chris has proven himself to be an outstanding and innovative leader at a number of great companies, and we expect him to make similar contributions at BJ’s.”
Jonathan Seiffer, senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners, said, “BJ’s has been a highly successful investment since the take-private transaction in 2011. Our firm has a deep history of investing in outstanding retail businesses, and we believe that the addition of Chris Baldwin to the BJ’s team will help to further establish BJ’s as a leading player in the U.S. retail landscape.”
