Private Label Buyer

John Fleming, chief merchandising officer of Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Walmart US division, will leave the company, according to a July 2 memo from Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart US. Jack Sinclair, executive vice president and general manager, grocery, will lead the food and health and wellness merchandising teams, and John Westling, executive vice president, planning, pricing and replenishment, will lead the general merchandising and replenishment teams. Both executives will report to Simon until Fleming is replaced.

“In the 10 years John has spent at Walmart, he has built a strong team and been the architect of groundbreaking efforts to grow our e-commerce business, creative marketing programs to communicate with customers, and inventive merchandising initiatives,” Simon said. “On a personal note, I’d like to thank John for his many contributions and for the direction he set for the company.”

Simon also announced the promotion of Gisel Ruiz to executive vice president, Walmart People. Reporting to Simon, she now is responsible for the HR function across Walmart’s field and home office organizations, including talent management and compensation. Previously, Ruiz served as senior vice president, Walmart People.