CVS shifts execs, Bloom adds roles

WOONSOCKET, R.I. —CVS Caremark has announced several organizational changes that involve Mike Bloom taking on additional responsibilities of distribution and inventory, and the merging of the Central and East divisions.

Mike Bloom has been appointed SVP merchandising and supply chain, leading an integrated end-to-end network managing store layout, as well as the selection, purchasing, inventory and supply of product to the stores. He remains responsible for front-store merchandising and category management, and has picked up the additional responsibilities of distribution and inventory. Reporting to Bloom are Ron Link, SVP logistics, and Ramesh Murthy, VP supply chain and inventory management.

Bloom joined CVS as part of the People’s Drug Store acquisition in 1991. He served as VPMM for Consumer Healthcare and later led the “Life” store prototype initiative, which has become the model for many other chain store makeovers that have lowered sightlines and have taken SKUs out of the store to improve shopability. He also had a major hand in the development of the Beauty360 concept, which targets beauty shoppers looking for higher-end prestige products. He was promoted to SVP merchandising in 2003.

Scott Baker will assume the role of SVP internal operations and real estate, responsible for store and pharmacy operations supporting the retail stores, as well as oversight of new retail location development and facilities management. Baker joined CVS with the Revco acquisition in 1997 as a region manager, having held a number of field management and operations roles. Baker served as a region manager in several CVS markets, and was promoted to area VP for New England in 2002. In early 2007, he was named SVP East division. Most recently, he led the integration of the Longs Drugs acquisition.

Hanley Wheeler, SVP stores Central division, will assume leadership of the East division as well. These two geographic divisions will be combined and now will be known as the East division. In his new role, Wheeler will be responsible for the operations of more than 4,800 stores in 26 states, encompassing New England, the mid-Atlantic region, the South and the Midwest. Wheeler joined CVS as part of the Revco acquisition in 1997, having held several leadership roles in field and internal operations, and he served as an area VP until his promotion to SVP in 2005.

Dennis Palmer, SVP stores West division, will continue to lead the nearly 2,100 stores in the West division, including the stores in the California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Midwest markets, and now will assume responsibility for the Hawaii market. Palmer joined CVS in 2006 as part of the Osco-Savon acquisition and has served as SVP since 2007.