BJ’s opening its first Tennessee outlet

BJ’s Wholesale Club will move into its 19^th state with the opening of its initial outlet in Tennessee, set to open in June.

The club in La Vergne, about 20 miles southeast of Nashville, will be the first of multiple locations set for the greater Nashville market, Bill Werner, BJ’s executive vice president, strategy and development, said in a statement.

In addition, BJ’s announced plans to open clubs in Davenport, Fla., and McDonough, Ga., later this month, which Werner said are part of its continued growth within the Orlando and Atlanta markets.

Each new BJ’s location is expected to create approximately 150 jobs for its respective community.

BJ’s latest expansion initiatives follow an active 2022 in which the retailer opened its first Indiana outlet in Noblesville, along with clubs in Midlothian, Va., Wayne, N.J., New Albany, Ohio, Greenburg, N.Y., Canton, Mich., Lady Lake, Fla., Warwick, R.I., Pittsburgh, Lansing, Mich., Port Charlotte, Fla., and Commack, N.Y.

The expansion activity comes amidst disruptions to its board of directors.

BJ’s additionally announced that Tom Kingsbury has resigned from the board as he re-assesses his board commitments following his recent appointment as chief executive officer of Kohl’s Corp.

Kingsbury joined the BJ’s board in February 2020 and was a member of the compensation committee.

“Tom has brought a wealth of retail knowledge and a track record of driving shareholder value which have served as meaningful contributions to our board and the company,” Chris Baldwin, board chairman, said in a statement.

Kingsbury’s departure follows the recent resignation of Judy Werthauser from the board following her appointment as executive vice president and chief people officer at Walmart.

Werthauser served on BJ’s board since November 2018, and most recently was chair of the compensation committee and a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee.

BJ’s said the board intends to identify new directors “in due course,” noting that it regularly evaluates its own makeup, “striving for a proper combination of skillsets and diversity of experience and thought to successfully govern the company’s execution of its strategic priorities.”

Marlborough, Mass.-based BJ’s, with 6.5 million members, operates 234 club stores and 163 gas stations. It has annual sales of $16.7 billion.