Dollar General vet returns
Goodlettsville, Tenn. — A familiar face has returned to head up merchandising at Dollar General.
Dollar General said James W. “Jim” Thorpe had rejoined the company as executive VP and chief merchandising officer, effective immediately. Thorpe previously served as Dollar General’s senior vice president and general merchandise manager from May 2006 until he retired in July 2012.
Thorp’s appointment follows the departure of David D’Arezzo who leaves the 12,000 unit retailer after serving as chief merchandising officer for 20 months.
The changeover in senior leadership at one of the nation’s fastest growing retailers comes just two months after Todd Vasos was named CEO after previously serving as COO and just weeks ahead of the company second quarter earnings release on August 27.
“Jim is an accomplished merchant who has a strong understanding of our core customer and a passion for our business. Given his proven track record, we are excited for him to return to Dollar General,” said Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos. “The addition of Jim helps strengthen our leadership team so that we can focus on capturing growth opportunities at an accelerated pace.”
Prior to Dollar General, Thorpe held various positions of increasing importance and responsibility with Sears Holdings from 1991 to 2006 where his last position was vice president and general merchandise manager of hard home for the Sears Home Group. Prior to Sears, he worked as a marketing program manager for Zenith Data Systems.
Thorpe’s appointments follows another key senior leadership move in June, which saw Jeff Owen rejoin Dollar General in the role of executive vice president of operations and the departure of Greg Sparks and executive vice president of store operations. Owen had spent 20 years at Dollar General before leaving the company in July 2014.
The return of Thorpe and Owen follow the appointment of Vasos to the CEO role on June 3. Vasos had previously served as COO under the tenure of former CEO Rick Dreiling who stepped down but will remain as chairman until the end of the fiscal year on Jan. 29, 2016.