Bed Bath & Beyond taps Old Navy exec to oversee West, assist with store ‘optimization’

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has made another addition to its leadership team.

The home furnishings retailer named Rick Wilkins as regional VP for the West region, effective immediately. Wilkins will report directly to Gregg Melnick, executive VP and chief stores officer.

Most recently, Wilkins served as territory VP for Gap Inc.’s Old Navy division, which he joined in 2012. Prior to that, he held roles at Starbucks and Target, where he executed plans to maximize store efficiency and implemented profit-improving measures across markets.

Wilkins will oversee operations for approximately 300 of Bed Bath & Beyond's stores across 20 states, and play a key role in the execution of the company’s store optimization strategy. In July, the retailer, which operated a total of 1,478 stores as of May 30, announced it would “right-size” its real estate portfolio and close about 200 stores during the next two years as it looks to return to profitability and pivots to a digital-first, “omni-always” shopping experience online and in-store.

Wilkins will join a cross-functional team responsible for implementing a suite of new store capabilities, including further improvements to buy-online-pickup-in-store, curbside pickup and same day delivery services. The team also plans a “robust reimagination” of store operations, including enhanced customer service, improved product assortment and better communication of value in-store, as well as expanded capacity to support faster, more efficient customer order fulfillment in-store or at home, the company said.

"We are creating a truly omni-always shopping experience to support the digital-first shopping preferences of our customers,” Melnick said. “Rick is an expert retail operator, whose deep experience driving profitable growth and an omni-always in-store experience will help us make it even easier to feel at home with Bed Bath & Beyond."