Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Friday named Rosalind Brewer president and chief executive of its Sam's Club warehouse retail chain, marking the first time that the world's largest retailer will have a woman and an African American leading one of its three business units.
Brewer, 49, will replace Brian Cornell on Feb. 1 at the start of the company's fiscal year, Wal-Mart said. She most recently ran Walmart U.S. operations on the East Coast.
Cornell, 52, recently told Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart that he and his wife want to move back to the Northeast to be closer to their children.
Wal-Mart also promoted two other women on Friday, naming Gisel Ruiz to the role of Walmart U.S. chief operating officer and Karenann Terrell as chief information officer.
Wal-Mart last year won a historic U.S. Supreme Court decision when the court rejected a nationwide class-action lawsuit brought by women who alleged that they were denied raises and promotions while working for the company because of their gender. Some are regrouping to file smaller suits.
As president and CEO of Sam's Club since April 2009, Cornell led growth at the chain including the launch of new private-label goods aimed at bringing shoppers in more often.
Sam's Club, with 610 stores and $49 billion in fiscal 2011 sales, is a smaller business than the Walmart division Brewer previously ran. It trails behind warehouse club leader Costco Wholesale Corp, which has roughly 600 stores and $88.9 billion in fiscal 2011 revenue.
In her most recent role, president of the Walmart U.S. East business unit, Brewer was responsible for more than $100 billion in annual revenue, representing almost 1,600 stores and more than 500,000 employees.
Brewer joined Wal-Mart in 2006 as a regional vice president after spending years at Kimberly-Clark Corp. She was selected as one of the most powerful women in business by Fortune magazine in 2010 and 2011 and sits on the board of Lockheed Martin Corp. She was also the first chair of the Walmart President's Council of Global Women Leaders.
Walmart U.S., The retailer's largest division in terms of sales, is run by Bill Simon, who also joined the company in 2006. Walmart International, the second-largest division, is led by Doug McMillon, who previously served as CEO of Sam's Club.