BJ’s Names Christopher J. Baldwin President/COO

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. has appointed Christopher J. Baldwin president and COO, effective Sept. 8. In his new role, Baldwin will oversee merchandising, logistics, membership, marketing, and club operations; he'll also join the retailer’s board of directors.

"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," said BJ's CEO Laura Sen.

Baldwin has more than 30 years of experience as an executive in the retail and consumer products industries. His most recent position was CEO of Hess Retail Corp., an operator of more than 1,300 East Coast fuel and convenience stores before its sale to Marathon Petroleum Corp. Prior to his stint at Hess, Baldwin held roles at Kraft Foods, the Hershey Co., and Procter & Gamble.

"BJ's has been a highly successful investment since the take-private transaction in 2011," said Jonathan Seiffer, senior partner at Los Angeles-based Leonard Green & Partners, which, along with New York-based CVC Capital Partners, wholly owns BJ's. " Our firm has a deep history of investing in outstanding retail businesses, which, along with 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."

Westborough, Mass.-based BJ's operates 208 clubs and 123 gas stations in 15 eastern states.