H-E-B Loses General Merchandise VP to The Container Store

H-E-B has lost its VP of general merchandise, global sourcing and front end to The Container Store, The Dallas Morning News has reported.

The Coppell, Texas-based storage and organization specialty retailer named John Gehre its EVP of merchandising and planning, bringing him into its fold following an 11-year tenure with the San Antonio-based grocer. He will report to CEO Melissa Reiff and work with president and chief merchant Sharon Tindell.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Gehre joined H-E-B, No. 6 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States, with the goal of building a cohesive general merchandise division. He grew the division from $825 million to $1.4 billion in sales volume over 10 years.

His responsibilities at H-E-B included a diverse range of businesses, from housewares and seasonal merchandise to toys, publishing, apparel, automotive and more. He led and developed a diverse procurement team – 60 members strong – that encompassed divisional merchandise managers, senior buyers, buyers, assistant buyers, global sourcing executives and regional store merchants.

In addition to that role and the roles of general merchandise manager and divisional merchandise manager, Gehre was VP and divisional merchandise manager at club store chain BJ’s Wholesale Club, VP and divisional merchandise manager at Linens N Things, senior buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue, and buyer at Macy’s, according to his LinkedIn profile. He currently serves on several boards, including ones for the Global Market Development Center and Mission Road Ministries.