Dive Brief:
- Setting up a long transition, Dollar Tree has promoted Brent Beebe to the chief merchandising officer role, effective April 2026, according to a Tuesday press release. The executive currently serves as senior vice president of merchandising and marketing.
- Current Chief Merchandising Officer Rick McNeely will retire in the spring of next year after working at the discount retailer since 2008.
- The leaders will partner together to foster a smooth transition over the next eight months. Beebe has worked at Dollar Tree since 2020, and McNeely noted in a statement that he has “coached Brent over the past five years,” per the release.
Dive Insight:
With Dollar Tree’s latest C-suite announcement, a longtime company veteran will be departing, replaced by an executive with decades of industry experience.
“With more than 20 years of merchandising leadership, Brent has already made a significant impact at Dollar Tree,” Dollar Tree CEO Mike Creedon said in a statement. “He has led key initiatives that delivered strong results, strengthened collaboration across teams, and enhanced our customer value proposition.”
Strong results recently came in the form of Dollar Tree’s second quarter earnings release.
The company last week reported Q2 net sales increased 12.3% year over year to $4.6 billion while gross margin improved 20 basis points. Dollar Tree’s same-store net sales jumped 6.5% with increases in both average ticket and traffic. Furthermore, the retailer raised its full-year guidance.
Dollar Tree’s financial performance looks brighter now that it’s completed the sale of the Family Dollar banner. The retailer in July closed on its deal to offload the struggling banner to private equity firms for about $1 billion, a fraction of what it acquired it for over a decade ago.
Both analysts and executives at Dollar Tree recently touted its expanded pricing assortment as a success. The retailer reported growth with both middle- and high-income consumers in the quarter.
Beebe joined Dollar Tree after serving as executive vice president at Bartell Drugs and has a resume of leadership roles at companies including Joann and the Fred Meyer brand under The Kroger Company.
His promotion to chief merchant adds to a list of retailers who have announced changes to the position so far this year.
The Container Store saw Brooke Wagner in July depart the role after about a year and a half, with Chief Commercial Officer Martin Schumacher taking over responsibilities. REI and Ulta have also announced new appointees to their chief merchandising roles this year.
