Walgreens hires executives for merchandising and ecommerce

Walgreens has tapped recent talent, hiring two leaders to assist lead the chain during turbulent times. CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid and other pharmacy chains have been struggling to search out their footing recently in a modified retail environment. Hundreds of pharmacies have shuttered, including a few of Walgreens’. The corporate has even said it’s considering closing as much as 25% of its 8,600 stores.

Because it looks to enhance, Walgreens has hired Tracey Koller to be senior vice chairman and chief merchandising officer. Additionally it is bringing on Sharmila Sudhakar as group vice chairman and head of the corporate’s digital commerce.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. ranks No. 14 within the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s rating of the most important North American online retailers. Within the database, Walgreens falls under the Health & Beauty category. Digital Commerce 360 projects that Walgreens online sales will reach $9.15 billion in 2024.

Walgreens web sales by 12 months

Who’re Walgreens’ newest hires?

With Walgreens’ latest hires, Koller replaces Linh Peters, who served in the highest merchandising role for 2 years and now serves on the advisory board of Session AI. Koller involves Walgreens after serving in an analogous role at Party City, helping it emerge from bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, Sudhakar arrives at Walgreens from from Tailored Brands, where she served in a variety of leadership positions, most recently as vice chairman and general manager of ecommerce business in North America for Men’s Wearhouse.

“Our retail pharmacy business is uniquely positioned to expand the role we play within the lives of our patients who’ve come to expect and want retail pharmacy at the middle of their care,” said Tracey Brown, executive vice chairman and president, Walgreens retail and chief customer officer via an organization press release.

“To do that, we’re investing within the industry’s best talent, which incorporates the addition of Tracey and Sharmila to the Walgreens leadership team,” Brown added. “With their strong track records of delivering leads to omni-channel solutions and merchandising, I do know they might be.”

Timing for Walgreens’ latest hiring

Sharmila Sudhakar, group vice chairman and head of Walgreens digital commerce | Photo credit: Walgreens

Scott Stuart, CEO at Turnaround Management Association, which advises troubled firms, says these recent hires can have to navigate choppy waters.

“With stiff competition, over- expansion, declining prescription drug rebates and shrinking profit margins, the retail pharmacy sector is at a crossroads, and Walgreens is considered one of the chains attempting to figure all of it out,” Stuart said.

Within the meantime, the worth of physical stores is being revisited.

“And while there’s a necessity for retail pharmacies, the normal brick-and-mortar stores aren’t working as they once did,” Stuart said.

Now, Stuart believes Walgreens can have to reinvent itself.

“What that appears like continues to be in flux, but with the trend on this sector consistently showing current models not work, hard take a look at consolidation and finding the appropriate balance of product and services might be key to the following iteration of what this sector might be,” he said.

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