BJ’s Wholesale Club has named a pair of executives with leadership experience in the grocery industry to its board of directors, according to a Friday announcement from the retailer. On Thursday, BJ’s CEO Bob Eddy’s added role of chairman of the board took effect.
The new directors, whose appointments are effective immediately, include C. Marie Robinson, a former A&P, Smart & Final and Walmart official, and Steven L. Ortega, who previously held senior roles at the Bi-Lo and American Stores food retailing chains.
“Steve is an accomplished executive with decades of retail and omnichannel experience and Marie’s deep knowledge of supply chain transformation is invaluable as we now control our perishable and ambient supply chains,” Eddy said in a statement about the new directors. “We look forward to their future contributions to BJ’s as we continue to execute on our goals of delivering long-term profitable growth and value creation.”
Robinson is currently executive vice president and chief supply chain officer of foodservice company Sysco. She previously was a top executive of Capri Holdings which owns numerous fashion brands including Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors, and before that was chief logistics officer of Toys R Us, according to her profile on LinkedIn.
Before joining Toys R Us in 2012, Robinson was senior vice president of supply and logistics for former East Coast supermarket chain A&P, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2015. She previously served in roles including senior vice president of warehouse retailer Smart & Final and vice president of logistics for Walmart.
Ortega is currently chairman of pool and spa products company Leslie’s Poolsmart, where he began working in 2005 after serving as executive vice president and CFO of Bi-Lo, according to his LinkedIn profile. During Ortega’s time at Bi-Lo, the retailer launched the FoodSmart discount grocery format and developed a new store design featuring a broader assortment of healthier, specialty and organic foods.
Earlier in his career, Ortega served in executive positions for American Stores’ supermarket and drug store units, per his bio on Leslie’s Poolsmart’s website.
BJ’s has in recent years paid growing attention to its grocery operations, which have helped fuel the Eastern U.S. retailer’s performance as it expands to additional regions. The retailer posted a 5.7% year-over-year increase in comparable-store sales excluding gasoline during the first quarter, with grocery sales playing a significant role in driving its performance.
