Starbucks names former Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer as president and chief operating officer

Starbucks has tapped Rosalind Brewer, the former president and CEO of Sam's Club, to take on the role of chief operating officer and group president, effective Oct. 2. Brewer will lead the company's operating businesses across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, as well as the global functions of supply chain, product innovation, and store development organizations. "Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance and Roz is a world class operator and executive who embodies the values of Starbucks," Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' president and CEO, said in a statement Wednesday. Johnson said that Brewer had been a "trusted strategic counselor" to him since her appointment to the company's board of directors in January. Brewer, who has more than 30 years of management experience and 10 years of experience leading multinational retailers, will continue to serve on the board of directors, the company said. "Ms. Brewer has a wealth of experience in retailing, consumers and [consumer packaged goods] markets," Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told CNBC via email. "She is also used to running large, complex organization with a global focus." Starbucks has hit some snags in recent quarters in its retail sales, blaming slowing mall traffic for weak sales at its Teavana stores, in particular. The company plans to shutter all 379 of these locations by spring 2018 to deal with the prolonged underperformace. "[Brewer] was instrumental in making changes at Sam's Club to bring the retailer more in line with trends around health and wellness," Saunders said. "She also did a lot in terms of e-commerce and multichannel, and this experience will be valuable for Starbucks."