Walmart reportedly names VP of beauty merchandising
Walmart reportedly is welcoming a new vice president of merchandising, beauty, according to a WWD report.
Creighton Kiper has reportedly been named to take over the role.
The announcement comes just weeks after Kiper’s predecessor, Musab Balbale, departed the company to join CVS Health.
[Read more: Musab Balbale departing Walmart for CVS Health]
Kiper previously held the role of merchandising vice president of wellness at Walmart.
In 2021, at Fairchild Live’s Wellness Forum, he said that Walmart’s vast consumer base — which purportedly counts 90% of Americans as monthly shoppers — is interested in both inner and outer beauty, according to a Yahoo report.
“Whether it’s personal care, beauty, fitness, diet, we definitely are seeing changes that benefit retail, and most importantly, the customer,” Kiper said at the time.
[Read more: Walmart shares first look at interactive store]
In addition, the report also states that he was keen on including niche wellness trends like chlorophyll water, which achieved viral status on TikTok, in the retailer’s assortment.
Walmart is in the midst of modernizing its beauty assortment, as well.
During his tenure, Balbale introduced a slew of new indie brands in a bid for the Gen Z beauty shopper, which was exemplified by its launch of Uoma by Sharon C., the mass market sister brand to Sharon Chuter’s Uoma Beauty.
[Read More: Walmart to launch beauty accelerator program]
The retailer also co-created a hair care line, called Next of Us, with Procter & Gamble.