Walmart Creates Style Business Unit Merging Fashion, Home and Beauty Merchandising

Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has consolidated its fashion, home and beauty merchandising teams into a new "Style Strategic Business Unit," Chief Merchant Julie Barber announced in a memo, marking the retailer's latest overhaul of its merchant organization. Denise Incandela, executive vice president of fashion for Walmart U.S., will lead the unit. She joined the company nearly a decade ago from Aerosoles. The restructuring includes several leadership moves: Laura Janney becomes senior vice president of women's, intimates and men's; Kaitlyn Shadiow's entertainment, toys, seasonal and hardlines team joins the unit; and Vinima Shekhar's beauty merchandising organization shifts from consumables. A new senior vice president of fashion merchandising will be hired. Barber said the changes aim to bring "teams, expertise and capabilities closer together" to build momentum across the businesses. Walmart previously overhauled merchandising with "Project Impact" in 2010 and later acquired and divested direct-to-consumer apparel brands including Bonobos and Moosejaw.