Target taps former Walmart supply chain chief to boost turnaround

Target has turned to a veteran of Walmart’s operating machine to sharpen a turnaround that depends on faster inventory flow and tighter execution in stores. Jeff England will join Target on May 31 as executive vice president and chief global supply chain and logistics officer, reporting to chief operating officer Lisa Roath.

The hire is more than a routine executive shuffle. Target said England will be responsible for accelerating supply chain plans and improving speed, reliability and precision, a signal that rivals still see the Walmart playbook as the benchmark for getting goods to shelves and orders to customers without waste.

England spent nearly two decades in operations, strategy and finance leadership roles at Walmart, according to Target. Reuters has reported that he worked there from 2004 to 2022, rising to senior vice president for supply chain. More recently, he served as chief supply chain officer at QXO and before that held the same title at Genuine Parts Company.

Target is pairing the new hire with a broader reset under chief executive Michael Fiddelke, who took over in February and has been trying to restore sales growth and improve efficiency. The company has already outlined a roughly $6 billion plan focused on inventory, the in-store experience and delivery times. In March, Target said it would raise 2026 capital spending to about $5 billion, including more than $1 billion in additional capital spending and another $1 billion in operating investments.

The company’s stores remain central to that plan. Target says its nearly 2,000 stores support same-day pickup, Drive Up, same-day delivery and next-day delivery expansion. The retailer said more than 80% of the U.S. population can get same-day delivery and 99% can receive items within two days, and it reported same-day delivery grew more than 30% year over year in fiscal 2025.

Gretchen McCarthy, Target’s current supply chain chief, will move into a strategic adviser role through August, which Target framed as a continuity move rather than a hard break. For Walmart associates, the message is clear: the skills that keep freight moving, inventory accurate and shelves full are not just internal priorities anymore. They are the abilities competitors are trying to import, and they remain a powerful path for hourly workers, department managers and assistant managers who want to move into higher-responsibility jobs. In a retail market where every missed delivery or out-of-stock item can ripple through labor planning and customer service, supply chain has become one of the most important battlegrounds in the business.