BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. has named Christopher J. Baldwin as its new president and chief operating officer. Baldwin will have responsibility for business operations including merchandising, logistics, membership, marketing, and club operations and will also join BJ’s board of directors.
“I am very excited to welcome Chris to the BJ’s team,” said Laura Sen, BJ’s CEO. “Chris’ record of excellence in leading large and successful organizations in the retail and consumer sectors will help us to build upon BJ’s strong heritage of offering a distinctive shopping experience and deep value proposition to BJ’s millions of loyal members.”
Baldwin brings more than 30 years of experience as an executive in the retail and consumer products industries. Before joining BJ’s, he was most recently CEO of Hess Retail Corporation, an operator of more than 1,300 fuel and convenience stores on the East Coast prior to its successful sale to Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Before joining Hess, Baldwin served in a variety of leadership roles including president of snacks at Kraft Foods (Nabisco), president of North America at the Hershey Company, and several executive roles at Procter & Gamble.
“I am privileged and excited to have the opportunity to join BJ’s terrific team,” Baldwin said. “BJ’s operates a unique and well positioned model within the very exciting wholesale club retail channel. I look forward to working with BJ’s executives, team members, and its board of directors to help bring value to all our stakeholders.”
Cameron Breitner, partner at equity firm CVC Capital Partners, who along with Leonard Green & Partners acquired BJ’s for $2.8 billion in June 2011, said, “We are delighted to welcome Chris Baldwin to the BJ’s team. Over a long career in the retail and consumer sectors, Chris has proven himself to be an outstanding and innovative leader at a number of great companies, and we expect him to make similar contributions at BJ’s.”
Jonathan Seiffer, senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners, added, “BJ’s has been a highly successful investment since the take-private transaction in 2011. Our firm has a deep history of investing in outstanding retail businesses, and we believe that the addition of Chris Baldwin to the BJ’s team will help to further establish BJ’s as a leading player in the U.S retail landscape.”
