Dive Brief:
- Walgreens appointed Tracey Koller to SVP and chief merchandising officer and Sharmila Sudhakar to group VP and head of Walgreens digital commerce, the company announced last week.
- Koller was most recently chief merchandising officer at Party City, and Sudhakar comes from Tailored Brands, where she was VP and general manager of the North America e-commerce business for The Men’s Wearhouse and Moores. They will begin their roles at Walgreens in late August.
- Tracey Brown, EVP and president of Walgreens retail and chief customer officer, said the appointments will help the company improve CX. “With their strong track records of delivering results in omnichannel solutions and merchandising, I know they will be critical contributors to our growth and success as we deliver an efficient, highly relevant customer experience,” she said in a prepared statement.
Dive Insight:
Walgreens is in the middle of a turnaround effort as the company faces eroding margins and closes stores. It sees the front of the store and omnichannel experience as critical to its effort, and leadership essential to success.
Koller will be responsible for merchandising strategy and deployment across all categories and brings experience integrating consumer insights into strategy. Sudhakar will be responsible for driving revenue across Walgreen’s ecommerce and strengthening digital engagement.
“[I]t’s exciting to join at a pivotal time in the company’s history,” Sudhakar said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to working with the highly talented team at Walgreens to accelerate our digital and omnichannel offerings that meet our customers when, where and how they want to engage.”
