Starbucks names Rosalind Brewer COO

Starbucks Corp. has named former Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer president and chief operating officer, the company said Wednesday.  

Brewer replaces Kevin Johnson in the role. Earlier this year, Johnson was named Starbucks CEO, after company founder Howard Schultz was named executive chairman.

Rosalind Brewer

Photo: Starbucks

Brewer brings considerable experience to the role, with more than 30 years of management experience and more than 10 years leading multi-national retailers. She spent five years at Sam’s Club, six years in executive roles at Wal-Mart, and 22 years at Kimberly-Clark. She is also a Starbucks board member.

“Roz is a world-class operator and executive who embodies the values of Starbucks,” Johnson said in a statement. “She has been a trusted strategic counselor to me ever since she joined our board of directors, and I deeply value her insight, business acumen and leadership experience.”

Brewer will serve as a member of Starbucks’ senior leadership team, and will remain on the company’s board. She will lead Starbucks’ operating business across the Americas, including Canada, the U.S. and Latin America. She will also lead the global supply chain, product innovation and store development functions.

“I have a deep love and admiration for the Starbucks brand and its people,” Brewer said in a statement.

She joins the management team as Starbucks finds itself in the midst of a crucial year. Traffic has slowed at domestic locations this year — it was flat in the third quarter ended July 2 — prompting some analysts to question whether the company is saturated in its home country. 

Starbucks has also decided to shut down its Teavana brand, and is aggressively working to sell more food in its more than 24,000 global locations.

Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected]

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