Kohl’s Appoints Former Walmart Executive as Chief Merchant
Kohl's has appointed Ryan Waymire, a former fashion executive at Walmart, as its new chief merchant. He will begin his role on September 28 and report to CEO Michael Bender, succeeding Nick Jones who had held the position for over three years. Waymire brings extensive merchandising experience from companies including Wayfair, Amazon, Target, and FabFitFun. His appointment comes as Kohl's continues its turnaround efforts with recent improvements in private label performance contributing to a slowdown in sales declines during Q2 2026. Net sales fell less than 1% year-over-year to $3.3 billion. Kohl’s has been focusing on revitalizing its product lines, including new apparel and home brands aimed at younger consumers. While the company's private label growth slowed compared to previous quarters, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about long-term benefits for gross margins and customer engagement.
Topics: leadership_change private_labels retail