Dive Brief:

• Target announced Tuesday three top executive changes, which include the reassignment of current Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Roath as chief merchandising officer of food, essentials and beauty, effective early next year.
• Christina Hennington, currently Target’s chief growth officer, will become the retailer’s chief strategy and growth officer while Rick Gomez, currently chief food, essentials and beauty officer, will become chief commercial officer. Both of those changes will take place on July 7.
• The changes are coming in the wake of a weak quarter for Target that saw the company’s overall and comparable-store sales decline.

Dive Insight:

Target is reorganizing its C-suite as the retailer looks to regain momentum in the grocery space as rivals like Walmart and discounters see price-conscious shoppers turn to them to stretch their grocery spending.

In May, Target reported that its sales fell more than 3% to $24.1 billion in the first quarter, while its operating income and net earnings also dropped.

Roath, a longtime Target executive who joined the company in 2006, moved up the leadership ranks from senior buyer to executive vice president. Prior to becoming the retailer’s chief marketing officer last summer, Roath served as senior vice president of food and beverage merchandising, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Target noted that Roath played a key role in the design and rollout of the retailer’s large-scale transformation of its merchandising arm.

As chief strategy and growth officer, Hennington will work with Target's leadership team on its roadmap for growth with a focus on staying “relevant and differentiated,” Target said. She will also play a key role in helping the retailer modernize its operations as well as take the lead on building and strengthening partner relationships.

Since joining Target in 2003, Hennington has overseen its multi-category merchandising business and led several major initiatives, including the sale of its pharmacy business to CVS and its partnership with Ulta Beauty, Target noted in the announcement. 

Gomez, who joined Target in 2013 and spearheaded Target’s efforts to become a food destination, will oversee the company’s merchandising operations as chief commercial officer. He played key roles in the retailer’s strategy reset in 2017 and the launch of its Roundel advertising business in 2019, the retailer said.

“As Rick takes on full oversight of merchandising, Christina will be dedicated to keeping our strategy consumer-centric, differentiated and future-focused,” Target CEO and Chair Brian Cornell said in a statement. “Lisa will be an important addition to Rick’s leadership team when she moves into her new role in 2025, bringing her prior experience and accomplishments leading our food and essentials businesses.”

Target said it is starting an external search for its next chief marketing officer. Until a successor is found, Roath will remain in full capacity as chief marketing officer, Target said. Once in her new role, Roath will report to Gomez.

The announcement of the three top executive changes follows Target naming Michael Fiddelke as chief operating officer in January as the retailer looks to “further accelerate progress on our growth initiatives,” Cornell said Tuesday. 

In March, Target unveiled an investment plan that included updating its Target Circle loyalty program, expanding its private brands, building more than 300 new stores and upgrading most of its existing ones over the next decade.