Mediratta joined Bentonville office on August 26th.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Arvind Mediratta, Walmart’s chief operating officer in India, is being relocated to the US headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas as a Senior Vice President, and could likely be replacing Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S., who may be on his way out after being overlooked for the position of chief executive officer, which was given to Greg Foran, an Australian.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jo Newbould confirmed with The City Wire that Mediratta was coming to Bentonville on August 26. Newbould said Mediratta will not report to Foran in his new U.S. assignment, reversing a statement she made a day earlier.
Newbould did not say whom Mediratta was replacing or if he is filling a new position.
Mediratta has 23 years experience in general management, marketing and sales. Most recently overseeing all the functions of Best Price Modern Wholesale in India, a business he is said to have crafted from the ground up. He was in charge of buying, merchandising, operations, sales, business development, marketing, membership, finance, logistics, supply chain and store planning.
That, says the Wire, is a close match to the job description of Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S., who is responsible for all aspects of buying, merchandising, marketing efforts, including customer research and business development, sales strategy, e-commerce marketing, private brands and customer communications.
The report added that some close watchers of the Wal-Mart corporate world say Mac Naughton may follow Bill Simon, former Walmart U.S. CEO, out the door. Simon was not picked to be Wal-Mart CEO, and Mac Naughton was considered a candidate for the Wal-Mart U.S. CEO job to which Foran was promoted.
Mediratta has spent nearly three years overseeing Wal-Mart’s Cash and Carry business unit in India. Prior to that he spent nearly five years in the Walmart/Bharti venture. He was recruited to Bharti from YUM! Brands where he served as chief marketing officer for two years in the company’s South Asia division. He also spent time at Whirlpool and Procter & Gamble.
Bloomberg reported that Foran has inherited a chain wedded to an outdated big-box model, struggling to boost sales in its stores and online, and losing customers because it can’t keep shelves adequately stocked.
Mediratta’s role at the company in India was anyway in question as he was a remnant of the company’s former joint venture with Bharti Enterprises Pvt. and is unlikely to be replaced, a source told Bloomberg.
The US retailer terminated its six-year partnership with Bharti in October last year, choosing instead to focus on its network of wholesale-only stores. In India, Wal-Mart operates 20 wholesale stores where only registered traders can shop. The company plans to add 50 more in the country over the next four to five years and started a website in June to allow its business customers to order online.