Bed Bath & Beyond taps retail vet to lead merchandise planning

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has named John Welling as senior VP, merchandise planning, allocation & operations, effective immediately.

Welling joins Bed Bath & Beyond with decades of experience across the retail industry. He was senior VP for planning and allocation at J.C. Penney, before which he held senior merchandising, planning and operations roles at The Michaels Companies. 

Before joining Michaels, Welling was at Walmart, where he spent more than 10 years in global leadership roles in inventory management and regional operations. He also spent more than a decade at Accenture, where he was a partner in the North American Retail Practice. 

“John brings industry-leading experience in retail transformation, inventory management, merchandise planning and store operations, expertise that will help advance our foundational capabilities, improve the experience for our customers, and drive increased profitability across our assortment,” said Joe Hartsig, Bed Bath & Beyond's chief merchandising officer and president of Harmon Health & Beauty Stores. 

Welling will be responsible for helping lead the transformation of Bed Bath & Beyond's inventory planning and replenishment strategy. In addition, he will oversee the evolution of space and assortment planning to optimize merchandise in store, ensure a more consistent, high-quality customer experience, and support the recently announced store remodel program, which includes investments of approximately $250 million over the next three years.