BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart's Chief Merchandising Officer Duncan Mac Naughton has announced that he will be parting ways with the retailer in order “to pursue new opportunities,” effective immediately.

Although this news is, of course, a loss, CEO Greg Foran said that he sees this departure as an opportunity for Wal-Mart to restructure its U.S. operations so as to stock more products able to attract consumers to its stores, according to the Wall Street Journal. Thus, he will not be naming a new CMO in the immediate future, preferring to have Wal-Mart executives in related departments report to him directly throughout this process.

“I would like to use this opportunity to get closer to the merchandising organization,” Foran shared in a Tuesday memo, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Wal-Mart has also announced that it will be replacing its Head of Grocery, Jack Sinclair. Steve Bratspies, the former head of Wal-Mart's General Merchandise Division, has been named the new EVP of Food, according to the Wall Street Journal. With “a strong focus on fresh,” Sinclair will instead be taking on a new role with Wal-Mart. The nature of this role will be announced at a later date, according to the memo.

Although Wal-Mart will be losing its Chief Merchandising Officer just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, the company says that it is confident the holiday strategy which it has had set for months will allow it to take full advantage of the busy season.

“We feel confident in operators and merchants to execute the holiday plan and take us on to next year,” explained Wal-Mart Spokeswoman Deisha Barnett.

AndNowUKnow would like to wish Duncan Mac Naughton the best as he enters this exciting new phase of his career.  

Wal-Mart