Walmart has appointed longtime executive Latriece Watkins to oversee its Sam’s Club division as CEO. The promotion makes way for a Black woman to shine in one of retail’s most significant leadership positions. Watkins brings two decades of experience and proven expertise to her new role at the membership club.
Her appointment represents a major milestone in an industry struggling with diversity at the executive level. Watkins gained the position after helping Walmart elevate its shelves for a premium shopping experience. Her track record of curating higher-end products and attracting affluent shoppers prepared her perfectly for this challenge.
Latriece Watkins Spent 20 Years Rising Through Walmart Corporate Ranks
Watkins has been an instrumental figure at the retail corporation for the past two decades. According to Fast Company, she began her career at Walmart within its real estate division. Her business acumen and strategic thinking led to substantive promotions throughout her tenure there.
Her most recent promotion before CEO came in 2023 when she became Chief Merchant for Walmart. In that position, she oversaw what products stocked Walmart’s shelves across the entire chain. She curated options for customers while simultaneously granting new opportunities for growing businesses and brands.
Chief Merchant Role Transformed Walmart Shopping Experience Successfully
As Chief Merchant, Watkins demonstrated exceptional ability to understand what customers wanted from their shopping experience. She introduced higher-end items to Walmart’s inventory, attracting shoppers with bigger budgets and refined tastes. This strategic shift helped Walmart compete more effectively against upscale retailers and specialty stores.
Her work fundamentally changed perceptions about what shoppers could find at Walmart stores nationwide. She balanced accessibility with aspiration, ensuring stores offered both value and quality products simultaneously. The elevated shopping experience she created increased customer loyalty and attracted new demographic segments to Walmart.
Sam’s Club CEO Position Represents Biggest Leadership Challenge Yet
Three years after her Chief Merchant promotion, Watkins has taken on her biggest role yet. As CEO of Sam’s Club, she oversees the membership-based warehouse club entirely. The position requires managing operations, strategy, merchandising, and competition against established rivals like Costco.
Sam’s Club serves as the more exclusive shopping option for Walmart loyalists seeking bulk purchases. The membership club offers bulk options for families with bigger budgets and, often, more mouths to feed. Given her experience implementing premium items, Watkins will further prove her expertise as an official CEO.
New CEO Aims to Position Sam’s Club as Stronger Costco Competitor
Watkins’ work now aims to make Sam’s Club a sharper competitor to the wildly popular Costco. Membership-based stores operate with similar business models, creating intense competition for customer loyalty and spending. Walmart and Watkins hope to cut into Costco’s dominant market share through strategic improvements.
The strategy focuses heavily on driving up Sam’s Club’s own private-label brands for competitive advantage. Member’s Mark, the club’s mainstay brand, currently accounts for a third of Sam’s Club’s total revenue. However, Watkins plans to significantly expand that percentage based on her previous private-label success.
Bettergoods Private Label Success Provides Blueprint for Member’s Mark Growth
Watkins saw tremendous success with the introduction of Walmart’s Bettergoods private-label line recently. The premium store brand attracted new customers and increased sales significantly across Walmart locations. Her mission now seeks to replicate that achievement by further promoting Member’s Mark to shoppers.
The Bettergoods experience taught valuable lessons about branding, quality, and customer perception of private labels. Watkins understands that private-label products need compelling value propositions beyond just lower prices alone. She’ll apply those insights to elevate Member’s Mark’s positioning and appeal among Sam’s Club members.
Black Women Represent Only 1.7% of Retail Executive Roles
Watkins’ appointment serves as a significant boost in diverse leadership within the retail industry. The C-suite has historically shut its door to Black women professionals across major corporations. According to statistics from the Women of Color Retail Alliance, obtained by the Robin Report in 2023, representation remains shockingly low.
Black women accounted for just 1.7% of executive roles in the retail and goods industry overall. These marginal figures highlight the systemic barriers Black women face reaching top leadership positions. The lack of representation affects decision-making, corporate culture, and opportunities for advancement throughout the industry.
Promotion Adds Crucial Black Woman Executive to Retail Leadership
Despite the dismal statistics, Watkins’ promotion adds a Black woman to the executive office meaningfully. Her presence in the CEO role creates visibility and possibility for other Black women in retail. She becomes a role model demonstrating that the highest positions are achievable despite persistent obstacles.
As she assumes her new role, she will curate another elevated shopper experience for the retail giant. Her leadership potentially paves the way for other large chains to diversify their executive teams. Watkins proves that investing in diverse talent leads to innovative thinking and business success simultaneously.
Real Estate Background Provided Foundation for Retail Expertise
Watkins’ unconventional path from real estate to merchandising demonstrates the value of diverse experiences. Her real estate background gave her unique insights into store locations, consumer demographics, and market dynamics. These skills translated effectively when she transitioned to merchandising and product curation roles later.
The real estate division taught her to think strategically about space, value, and customer accessibility. She learned to analyze data, understand communities, and make decisions affecting millions of customers. This foundation proved invaluable as she rose through increasingly complex and visible corporate positions.
Walmart Leadership Shows Commitment to Internal Talent Development
Watkins’ 20-year journey from real estate to CEO demonstrates Walmart’s commitment to developing internal talent. The company identified her potential early and provided opportunities for growth and advancement consistently. Her promotion shows that loyalty and performance get rewarded with meaningful career progression opportunities.
This approach to talent development benefits both the company and individual employees seeking advancement. Watkins understands Walmart’s culture, values, and operations intimately after two decades of service. Her institutional knowledge combined with fresh vision positions Sam’s Club for continued success and innovation.
New Sam’s Club CEO Leads Way for Large Retail Chains
As Watkins assumes the CEO position, her impact extends beyond Sam’s Club and Walmart alone. She leads the way for other large retail chains to prioritize diversity in executive leadership. Her success challenges outdated assumptions about who can lead major retail operations effectively and profitably.
Moreover, her appointment sends a powerful message to Black women throughout the retail industry currently. Representation at the highest levels matters for inspiring the next generation of leaders and executives. Watkins’ journey from real estate to CEO proves that barriers can be broken with talent, determination, and opportunity combined.
