BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. is making a major merchandising move by hiring Rachael Vegas as EVP, chief merchandising officer, from grocer H-E-B, where she was SVP, e-commerce merchandising.
Effective Oct. 25, Vegas will start her new role at BJ’s and be responsible for the strategic leadership of the company’s merchandising- and assortment-planning and allocation functions. She will report to Paul Cichocki, EVP, chief commercial officer.
“We remain committed to delivering unbeatable value with a best-in-class merchandising assortment that will exceed our members’ expectations,” said Cichocki, who assumed his position in April. “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.”
“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,” 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.”
Recent initiatives that BJ's has made to enhance its merchandising assortment include driving own-brands penetration and simplifying to expand into high-demand categories, including better-for-you snacks, fitness, recreation and seasonal products.
For the second quarter of fiscal 2021 ending July 31, the retailer’s merchandise gross margin rate, which excludes gasoline sales and membership fee income, increased 30 basis points over the second quarter of fiscal 2020. According to the company, merchandise margins benefited from improved private label penetration and the mix of its general merchandise sales, partly offset by higher freight costs and price investments in inflationary categories.
During her time at H-E-B, Vegas was responsible for its e-commerce business as well as its in-store financial services and payments division and its retail media initiative. Prior to H-E-B, Vegas held various leadership positions at Brandless, Target and Delhaize Group. She holds a master of business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor of arts from Tufts University.