This time Walmart is losing Ashley Buchanan, chief merchandising and chief operating officer for Walmart U.S.’s e-commerce business. Starting Jan. 6, Buchanan will join the Michaels Companies as its new president and chief executive officer designate. He’s also been added to the craft and framing company’s board.
“Michaels is an iconic brand,” Buchanan said in a statement. “I am excited about the tremendous opportunity we have in front of us to reimagine and redefine the experience of our makers.”
Ashley Buchanan has been with Walmart since 2007.
Courtesy walmart.com
Buchanan, who joined Walmart in 2007, has served in various roles throughout the company, including a post as chief merchandising officer at Sam’s Club. In addition, Buchanan’s résumé includes positions at Dell and consulting and strategy firm Accenture, focusing on retail.
He was also part of Walmart’s efforts to pour more money into its digital shopping experience in an attempt to compete with e-commerce giant Amazon. (Last quarter, Walmart U.S.’s e-commerce sales surged 41 percent, compared with the prior year.)
Buchanan is among a number of other executives to either leave or join the retailer this year like Jeremy King, who left Walmart in March for Pinterest, and