99 Cents Only Stores Names Jack L. Sinclair Chief Merch Officer

99 Cents Only Stores has appointed former Walmart executive Jack L. Sinclair its chief merchandising officer, in which he'll oversee all merchandising and marketing functions for the Commerce, Calif.-based company.

An industry veteran with 30-plus years of experience, particularly in grocery retail at both North American and European retailers, Sinclair was previously EVP of Walmart's U.S. grocery division for seven years, leading the team responsible for the Bentonville, Ark.-based mega-retailer’s grocery business. Under his watch at Walmart, grocery generated considerable growth by focusing on local assortment and fresh food. Before that, he spent 14 years at the third-largest U.K. grocer, Safeway PLC, holding a range of roles before becoming group marketing and trading director, in which he ran all store operations and merchandising.

Sinclair retired from Walmart last March in the midst of the company's reorganization of its food division leadership.

"Jack's significant experience in retail merchandising will be an asset to 99 Cents Only Stores as we continue to improve the execution of our core business plan that emphasizes a strong mix of seasonal, grocery, and close-out products," noted Andrew Giancamilli, interim CEO of 99 Cents Only, which operates 384 stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. "His deep knowledge of the grocery and fresh food category will be particularly valuable, given the importance of these categories to our customers and for driving traffic in our stores."