Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed John Hartmann as chief operating officer of Bed Bath & Beyond and president of buybuy BABY, effective May 18, 2020. He will report directly to Mark Tritton, president & CEO, and be a key member of a streamlined senior leadership team.
Hartmann will lead key areas of the company’s transformation including IT, supply chain and real estate, working across the company’s five strategic growth pillars to accelerate decision-making and enhance connectivity across functions. He will also be responsible for re-engineering the company’s supply chain and technology infrastructure to enhance fulfillment, drive cost improvements, improve customer experience and support the introduction of omnichannel improvements such as Buy-Online-Pick-Up-In-Store (BOPIS) across its fleet of stores. As president of BABY, Hartmann will be responsible for further developing the growth strategy for this leading infant and small children retail brand.
“We continue to drive our growth plans and invest in strategic talent, while managing through the COVID-19 situation, backed by significant financial flexibility,” says Tritton. “John is a world-class leader with a passion for building high-performing teams and deep expertise delivering transformation in the retail sector. He will accelerate the execution of our vision to make it easy to feel at home with Bed Bath & Beyond, helping rebuild a modern, durable business and a deeper connection with our loyal customers across our portfolio of brands.”
Hartmann joins Bed Bath & Beyond from True Value Company, one of the world’s largest hardware wholesalers, where he was president and chief executive officer. Hartmann led True Value through a significant business transformation that modernized and strengthened its wholesale supply chain, accelerated technology investments to align with the changing retail landscape and drove growth and profitability across its 4,500 retail locations.
Prior to True Value, Hartmann was CEO of leading home improvement company Mitre 10, COO at HD Supply, and has held senior positions at The Home Depot, Cardinal Health and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
SOURCE: Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.