Walmart’s Marketing Chief To Step Down Next Month

Fifty-six-year-old Stephen Quinn, Walmart’s marketing chief for the last nine years, will retire in January. The company has hired former Target marketing guru Michael Francis as a consultant until Quinn’s successor is picked. Francis will revamp Walmart’s marketing department and work closely with the eventual marketing head. Quinn’s retirement is the latest in a series of executive changes made under CEO Doug McMillion, who is determined to revamp operations while implementing long-term goals like supersizing online sales, streamlining stores, and attracting more affluent shoppers. Francis has spent the last three years at DreamWorks Animation SKG, but is best known as the architect of Target’s image during his 27-year career there.