Former CEO of Pier 1 joins Dollar Tree executive team

A retail executive with global consumer goods experience has joined the leadership team of Dollar Tree.

The discounter said that Alasdair James, 50, recently joined the company as executive VP, merchandising and supply chain. James will be responsible for merchandising, global sourcing, marketing, inventory management and logistics. He will report to Michael Witynski, Dollar Tree president and CEO.

Most recently, from May 2017 to January 2019, James served as CEO of Pier 1 Imports. Prior to that, he was president of Kmart for several years.

James has also served in global retail leadership roles, including chief customer officer global brands for Tesco in the U.K., and as executive VP and chief merchant for Tesco China. Other relevant industry experience includes management roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo.

“Alasdair is a proven retail leader with many years of global consumer goods experience, in the U.S., China, and the United Kingdom,” stated Witynski. “This new position strengthens our executive team in key areas of the business, as we continue to grow as a unified company with two strong brands. We will continue to maintain our customer-centric focus while developing initiatives to improve productivity and efficiencies.”