Herbert Mines Associates Recruits Chief Merchandising Officer for BJ’s Wholesale Club
November 1, 2021 – New York-based retail and consumer focused executive search firm Herbert Mines Associates recently assisted in the recruitment of Rachael Vegas as chief merchandising officer for BJ’s Wholesale Club. She will be responsible for the strategic leadership of the company’s merchandising and assortment planning and allocation functions, and will report to Paul Cichocki, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “We remain committed to delivering unbeatable value with a best-in-class merchandising assortment that will exceed our members’ expectations,” said Mr. Cichocki. “We’re thrilled to have Rachael join our team. Her diverse background and deep experience in retail and grocery will be influential as we continue to build on our momentum and advance our strategic priorities.”
Most recently, Ms. Vegas was senior vice president, ecommerce merchandising at H-E-B, where she was responsible for its ecommerce business as well as its in-store financial services and payments division and its retail media initiative. Prior to H-E-B, she held various leadership positions at Brandless, Target and Delhaize Group. Ms. Vegas holds a master of business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor of arts from Tufts University.
BJ’s has made significant progress in enhancing its merchandising assortment to offer outstanding value to members. The company has remained focused on creating the best selection of products and services to meet its members’ evolving demands. Recent initiatives have included driving own brands penetration and simplifying to expand into high-demand categories, including better-for-you snacks, fitness, recreation and seasonal products. Ms. Vegas will continue to build on this success to drive future growth.
“I am thrilled to join the team at BJ’s and look forward to working alongside this talented group of people to deliver outstanding products and services to members,” Ms. Vegas said. “BJ’s has made significant investments to grow its business and I look forward to partnering with the team to become the one-stop shop of choice for even more members.”
“Herbert Mines Associates is proud to have partnered with BJ’s Wholesale Club on recruiting Rachael Vegas as executive vice president, chief merchandising officer,” the search firm said. “We wish Rachael much continued success in this new, exciting chapter.”
Headquartered in Westborough, MA, BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. is an operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 222 clubs and 151 BJ’s Gas locations in 17 states.
Serving Retail Companies
Established in 1978, Herbert Mines is a specialist search firm focusing on the retail, fashion and apparel, beauty, consumer products and services, hospitality, leisure, restaurant and digital/technology industries. The firm is noted for its C-suite recruiting work.
Herbert Mines Assists Bob’s Discount Furniture with CEO Search
Herbert Mines Associates recently partnered with alternative investment firm Bain Capital in the recruitment of Bill Barton as president and CEO of Bob’s Discount Furniture in Manchester, CT. “Bill is an exceptional and customer-centric leader with deep retail and home goods experience,” said Mr. English. “He is the ideal person to work with our talented team to lead Bob’s Discount Furniture through its next phase of growth. Our business has experienced tremendous growth since we reopened our stores with a heavy focus on safety for our customers and our associates. We expect this momentum to continue as we head into the holiday season and plan for 2021 and beyond.”
Herbert Mines recently recruited Mr. Malhotra as The Containers Store’s new president and CEO. The search, led by managing directors Adelle Kirk and Kristin Dennehy, entailed a comprehensive review and evaluation of executives across consumer-facing multi-unit and purpose-driven companies who had the appropriate scope and scale for this role. “We partnered with The Container Store’s board of directors to conduct a thorough search for a seasoned retail executive with the capacity to maximize the company’s powerful brand and market position, expand its omni-channel capabilities, and maintain its unique culture and values,” said Ms. Kirk. “Satish Malhotra is an omni-channel, digitally savvy, customer focused executive with a deep appreciation for culture and values. He has been an integral part of Sephora Americas’ growth story for the past 21 years. Satish leads with authenticity, humility, and purpose. He was the clear choice to take The Container Store into its next exciting chapter.”
Related: Herbert Mines Associates Helps rue21 Secure New CEO
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
