Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield to depart

Walmart’s Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield, who started as a Sam’s Club cashier while in college, is leaving the retail giant after 32 years.

Walmart employees learned of the planned departure Friday, in an email from Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner that was shared with WGB. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Redfield is leaving the company in June to spend more time with family. Starting May 1, Redfield will transition into an “advisory role,” with the retailer, Furner said.

Walmart's memo to employees announcing the departure of Chief Merchandising Officer Charles Redfield. / Memo: Walmart

“News about our next chief merchandising officer will be shared soon,” he added.

After college, Redfield, who grew up in Walmart’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, became an assistant manager and Sam’s Club and later held leadership roles with the warehouse club retailer in operations and merchandising.

In 2010, he became chief merchandising officer for Walmart’s U.K. subsidiary Asda, a role he held for two years before returning to the U.S. to serve as EVP of merchandising for Sam’s Club.

In 2015, Redfield was named EVP of food for Walmart U.S. and was responsible for strategy, assortment, private brands and sourcing. He held that job until January 2022, when he was named head of merchandising.

Furner called Redfield “a true advocate for the customer,” saying, “Whether they’re shopping online or in stores, his focus has been ensuring customers can always find the items they need and want at the lowest possible prices. Especially as inflation started skyrocketing, Charles and team have worked hard with suppliers to lower prices and give value to customers when they’ve needed it most.”

Earlier this week, Walmart announced it would close four stores in Chicago that have been losing tens of millions of dollars a year. Walmart also said it would close 15 other underperforming stores around the country.

In February, Walmart offered up a weaker-than-expected financial forecast for the year ahead, noting that shoppers are cutting back significantly on discretionary purchases.

“There’s a great deal of uncertainty looking out over the balance of the year,” CFO John David Rainey told analysts at the time. “Prices are still high, and there is considerable pressure on the consumer. Our guidance reflects a cautious outlook.”