Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
General
BJ’s Wholesale Club is a leading warehouse club operator concentrated primarily on the eastern half of the United States. We deliver significant value to our members, consistently offering 25% or more savings on a representative basket of manufacturer-branded groceries compared to traditional supermarket competitors . We provide a curated assortment focused on perishable products, continuously refreshed general merchandise, gasoline and other ancillary services, coupon books, and promotions to deliver a differentiated shopping experience that is further enhanced by our digital capabilities.
Since pioneering the warehouse club model in New England in 1984, we have grown our footprint to 235 large-format, high volume warehouse clubs and 164 gas stations spanning 18 states as of fiscal year end 2022. In our New England markets, which have high population density and generate a disproportionate part of U.S. gross domestic product ("GDP"), we operate more than three times the number of clubs compared to the next largest warehouse club competitor. In addition to shopping in our clubs, members are able to shop when and how they want through our website, bjs.com, and our highly rated mobile app, which allows them to use our buy-online-pickup-in-club ("BOPIC") service, curbside delivery, same-day home delivery or traditional ship-to-home service, as well as through the DoorDash and Instacart marketplaces where members receive preferential pricing by linking their membership. We also launched Same-Day Select in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, which offers BJ’s members the ability to pay a one-time fee for either unlimited or twelve same-day grocery deliveries over a one-year period.
Our leadership team continues to focus on transforming how we use data to improve member experience, instilling a culture of cost discipline, adopting a more proactive approach to growing our membership base and building an omnichannel offering oriented towards making shopping at BJ’s more convenient. These changes continue to delivered results rapidly, evidenced by year-over-year income from continuing operations growth, consecutive quarter comparable club sales growth and adjusted EBITDA growth over the last four years.
Our goal is to offer our members significant value and a meaningful return in savings on their annual membership fee. We have more than six and a half million members paying annual fees to gain access to savings on groceries and general merchandise and services. The annual membership fee for our Inner Circle ® membership is generally $55, and the annual membership fee for our BJ’s Club+ (formerly Perks Rewards ®) membership, which offers additional value-enhancing features, is generally $110. We believe that members can save over ten times their $55 Inner Circle membership fee versus what they would otherwise pay at traditional supermarket competitors when they spend $2,500 or more per year at BJ’s on manufacturer-branded groceries. In addition to providing significant savings on a representative basket of manufacturer-branded groceries, we accept all manufacturer coupons and also carry our own exclusive brands that enable members to save on price without compromising on quality. Our two private label brands, Wellsley Farms ® and Berkley Jensen ® , represent over $3.7 billion in annual sales, and are the largest brands we sell in terms of volume. Our customers recognize the relevance of our value proposition across economic environments, as demonstrated by over 20 consecutive years of membership fee income growth. Our membership fee income ("MFI") was $396.7 million for fiscal year 2022.
On May 2, 2022, the Company completed its acquisition of the assets and operations of four distribution centers and the related private transportation fleet from Burris Logistics (the "Acquisition"), which brings substantially all of the end-to-end perishable supply chain in-house. See Note 1 9 , "Acquisitions" of our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the Acquisition.
Industry Overview
Warehouse clubs offer a relatively narrow assortment of food and general merchandise items within a wide range of product categories. In order to achieve high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, merchandise selections are generally limited to items that are brand name leaders in their categories alongside an assortment of private label brands. Since warehouse clubs sell a diversified selection of product categories, they attract customers from a wide range of other wholesale and retail distribution channels, such as supermarkets, supercenters, internet retailers, gasoline stations, hard discounters, department and specialty stores and operators selling a narrow range of merchandise. These higher cost distribution channels have traditionally been unable to match the low prices offered by warehouse clubs over long periods of time.
Warehouse clubs eliminate many of the merchandise handling costs associated with traditional multiple-step distribution channels by purchasing full truckloads of merchandise directly from manufacturers and by storing merchandise on the sales floor rather than in central warehouses. By operating no-frills, self-service warehouse facilities, warehouse clubs have fixturing
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and operating costs substantially below those of traditional retailers. Because of their higher sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, warehouse clubs generate cash from the sale of a large portion of their inventory before they are required to pay merchandise vendors. As a result, a greater percentage of the inventory is financed through vendor payment terms than by working capital. Two broad groups of customers, individual households and small businesses, have been attracted to the savings made possible by the high sales volumes and operating efficiencies achieved by warehouse clubs. Customers at warehouse clubs are generally limited to members who pay an annual fee.
Our Clubs
As of January 28, 2023, we operated 235 clubs ranging in size from 44,000 square feet to 177,000 square feet. We aim to locate our larger clubs in high density, high traffic locations that are difficult to replicate. We design our smaller format clubs to serve markets whose population is not sufficient to support a larger club or that are in locations, such as urban areas, where there is inadequate real estate space for a larger club. Including space for parking, the amount of land required for a BJ’s club generally ranges from ten acres to approximately fourteen acres. Our clubs are located in both free-standing locations and shopping centers.
Our ability to achieve profitable operations depends upon high sales volumes and the efficient operation of our warehouse clubs. We buy most of our merchandise directly from manufacturers and route it to cross-docking consolidation points (distribution centers) or directly to our clubs. Our company-operated distribution centers receive large shipments from manufacturers and quickly ship these goods to individual clubs, generally within 24 hours. This process creates freight volume and handling efficiencies, eliminating many costs associated with traditional multiple-step distribution channels, including distributors’ commissions and the cost of storing merchandise in central distribution facilities. We work closely with manufacturers to minimize the amount of handling required once merchandise is received at a club. Merchandise for sale is generally displayed on pallets containing large quantities of each item, thereby reducing labor required for handling, stocking and restocking. Back-up merchandise is generally stored in steel racks above the sales floor.
A summary of our club locations by market as of January 28, 2023 is set forth in the table below:
Market Club Count
New York 47
Florida 35
Massachusetts 25
New Jersey 24
Pennsylvania 19
Virginia 14
Connecticut 13
Maryland 12
North Carolina 9
New Hampshire 7
Ohio 7
Georgia 5
Michigan 5
Delaware 4
Rhode Island 4
Maine 3
South Carolina 1
Indiana 1
Segments
Our retail operations, which include retail club and other sales procured from our clubs and distribution centers, represent substantially all of our consolidated total revenues, are our only reportable segment. All of our identifiable assets are located in the United States. We do not have significant sales outside the United States, nor does any customer represent more than 10% of total revenues for any period presented .
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Merchandising
We service our existing members and attract new members by providing a broad range of high quality, brand name and private label merchandise at prices that are consistently lower than the prices of traditional retailers, including discount retailers, supermarkets, supercenters and specialty retail operations. We limit the items offered in each product line to fast selling styles, sizes and colors, carrying approximately 7,000 core active stock keeping units ("SKUs"). We may add additional temporary SKUs from time to time to keep up with demand, such as that created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By contrast, supermarkets normally carry an average of 40,000 SKUs, and supercenters may stock 100,000 SKUs or more. We work closely with manufacturers to develop packaging and sizes that are best suited for selling through the warehouse club format in order to minimize handling costs and ensure value to our members.
We group our merchandise offerings into two divisions: grocery and general merchandise and services.
• Grocery: consists of our meat, produce, dairy, bakery, deli and frozen products, packaged foods, beverages, detergents, disinfectants, paper products, beauty care, adult and baby care and pet foods, which constituted approximately 85% of our merchandise sales for fiscal year 2022.
• General merchandise and services: consists of optical, tires, small appliances, televisions, electronics, seasonal goods, gift cards, and apparel, which constituted approximately 15% of our merchandise sales for fiscal year 2022.
BJ’s consumer-focused private label products, sold under Wellsley Farms ® and Berkley Jensen ® brands, comprised approximately 24% of our total net sales, excluding gasoline, in fiscal year 2022. These products are primarily premium quality and generally are priced below the branded competing product. We focus both on a group of core private label products that compete with national brands that have among the highest market share and yield high margins and on differentiated products that drive member loyalty.
We also offer a number of specialty services that are designed to enable members to complete more of their shopping at our clubs and to encourage more frequent trips to the clubs. Many of these services are provided by outside operators under license from us. Specialty services include full-service optical centers; tire installation services; a propane tank filling service; home improvement services; travel services; cell phone kiosks; and product protection plans.
As of January 28, 2023, we had 164 gasoline stations in operation at or near our clubs. The gas stations are generally self-service, with some locations accepting cash. We generally maintain our gas prices below the average retail prices in each market as a means of illustrating a favorable price image to existing and prospective members.
Omnichannel Offerings
We have built a robust omnichannel portfolio which consists of BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the BJ’s mobile app. We have made it easier for members to purchase, review products, digitally add coupons to their membership card and view annual member savings. BJs.com showcases our club assortment available to members along with review ratings and coupons for added savings. The above omnichannel portfolio offers our members convenient ways to shop, including our BOPIC service, curbside delivery, same-day home delivery or traditional ship-to-home service. Our app delivers personalized promotions, improved shopping experiences, and an efficient gateway to our fulfillment options. Our members appreciate the convenience of the BJ’s mobile app, as evidenced by millions of downloads since fiscal year 2019, as well as ExpressPay®, which allows members to skip checkout lines when they shop in club by paying with their phones. In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022, we announced the launch of our retail media program, BJ’s Media Edge™, using Microsoft PromoteIQ. The program offers brands a comprehensive advertising solution to connect with BJ’s members.
Membership
Paid membership is an essential element of the warehouse club concept. In addition to providing a source of revenue which permits us to offer low prices, membership reinforces customer loyalty. We have a large base of more than six and a half million paid memberships as of January 28, 2023. Our target customers care about value, quality and convenience and shop at warehouse clubs for their family needs. Our target customers are a price sensitive demographic with large household sizes, representing the largest segment of warehouse club shoppers in BJ’s trade areas.
We offer two core types of memberships: Inner Circle® memberships and business memberships. We generally charge $55 per year for a primary Inner Circle membership that includes one additional card for a household member. Primary members may purchase up to three supplemental memberships for $30 each. A primary business membership typically costs
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$55 per year and includes one free supplemental membership. Business members may purchase up to eight additional supplemental business memberships at $30 each. U.S. military personnel—active and veteran—who enroll at a BJ’s club location can do so for a reduced membership fee.
We are currently rebranding our higher tier membership from BJ’s Perks Rewards® to Club+, which offers members the opportunity to earn 2% cash back on most in-club and bjs.com purchases and 5-cent per gallon discount on gasoline. The annual fee for a Club+ membership is generally $110 per year. We are also launching our new BJ's One™ and BJ's One+™ Mastercard® credit cards (formerly the My BJ’s Perks® program) These cards provide members with the opportunity to earn up to 5% cash back on purchases made at our clubs or online at bjs.com and up to a 15-cent per gallon discount on gasoline when paying with a BJ's One™ or BJ's One+™ Mastercard® at our BJ’s Gas locations. Since fiscal year 2014, we have grown co-branded Mastercard® holders by over 900%. In fiscal year 2022, BJ’s Perks Rewards members and co-branded Mastercard® members accounted for 38% of members and 52% of merchandise spend (excludes gas and membership fee income), compared to 35% of members and 45% of spend in fiscal year 2021.
Advertising and Public Relations
We promote customer awareness of our clubs primarily through social media, direct mail, public relations efforts, radio advertising, community involvement, new club marketing programs and various publications sent to our members periodically throughout the year. These methods result in lower marketing expenses compared to typical retailers.
Competition
We compete with a wide range of national, regional and local retailers and wholesalers selling food and/or general merchandise in our markets, including supermarkets, supercenters, general merchandise chains, specialty chains, gasoline stations and other warehouse clubs, some of which have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than BJ’s. Major competitors that operate warehouse clubs include Costco Wholesale Corporation and Sam’s Clubs (a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.), both of which operate on a multi-national basis.
We believe price is the major competitive factor in the markets in which we compete. Other competitive factors include club location, merchandise selection, member services and name recognition. We believe our efficient, low-cost form of distribution gives us a significant competitive advantage over more traditional channels of retail distribution.
Intellectual Property
We believe that, to varying degrees, our trademarks, trade names, copyrights, proprietary processes, trade secrets, patents, trade dress, domain names and similar intellectual property add significant value to our business and are important to our success. We have invested significantly in the development and protection of our well-recognized brands, including our private label brands, Wellsley Farms ® and Berkley Jensen ® . We believe that products sold under our private label brands are high quality, offered to our members at prices that are generally lower than those for comparable national brand products and help lower costs, differentiate our merchandise offerings from other retailers and generally earn higher margins. We expect to continue to increase the sales penetration of our private label items.
We rely on trademark and copyright laws, trade-secret protection, and confidentiality, license and other agreements with our suppliers, employees and others to protect our intellectual property rights. However, trademarks are generally valid and may be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use and their registrations are properly maintained.
Government Regulation
Compliance with various governmental regulations has an impact on our business, including our capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position, which can be material. We incur costs to monitor, and take actions to comply with, governmental regulations that are applicable to our business, which include, among others, federal securities laws and regulations, applicable to exchange requirements, labor and employment laws, laws governing truth-in-advertising, privacy laws, environmental laws, safety regulations and other laws, including consumer protection regulations that regulate retailers and govern the promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of clubs, warehouses and Company-operated and contracted distribution center facilities.
Our clubs are also subject to various local, state and federal laws, regulations and administrative practices affecting our business. We must comply with provisions regulating health and sanitation standards, food labeling, equal employment, minimum wages, environmental protection, licensing for the sale of food and, in many clubs, licensing for beer and wine or other alcoholic beverages. Our operations, including the manufacturing, processing, formulating, packaging, labeling and advertising of products are subject to regulation by various federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (the
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"FDA"), the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC"), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the "USDA"), the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. We rely on contractual provisions to ensure compliance by our vendors.
See "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for a discussion of material risks to us, including, to the extent material, to our competitive position, relating to governmental regulations, and see "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for a discussion of material information relevant to an assessment of our financial condition and results of operations, including, to the extent material, the effects that compliance with governmental regulations may have upon our capital expenditures and earnings.
Food
The FDA has comprehensive authority to regulate the safety of food and food ingredients (other than meat, poultry, catfish and certain egg products), as well as dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the "FDCA"). Similarly, the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service is the public health agency responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, catfish and certain egg products is safe, wholesome and correctly labeled and packaged under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
Congress amended the FDCA in 2011 through passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (the "FSMA"), which greatly expanded the FDA’s regulatory obligations over all actors in the supply chain. Industry actors continue to determine the best pathways to implement FSMA’s regulatory mandates and the FDA’s promulgating regulations throughout supply chains, as most requirements are now in effect. Such regulations mandate that risk-based preventive controls be observed by the majority of food producers. This authority applies to all domestic food facilities and, by way of imported food supplier verification requirements, to all foreign facilities that supply food products.
The FDA also exercises broad jurisdiction over the labeling and promotion of food. Labeling is a broad concept that, under certain circumstances, extends to product-related claims and representations made on a company’s website or similar printed or graphic medium. All foods, including dietary supplements, must bear labeling that provides consumers with essential information with respect to standards of identity, net quantity, nutrition facts, ingredient statement and allergen disclosures. The FDA also regulates the use of structure/function claims, health claims and nutrient content claims.
Dietary Supplements
The FDA has comprehensive authority to regulate the safety of dietary supplements, dietary ingredients, labeling and current good manufacturing practices. Congress amended the FDCA in 1994 through passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (the "DSHEA"), which greatly expanded the FDA’s regulatory authority over dietary supplements. Through DSHEA, dietary supplements became their own regulated commodity while also allowing structure/function claims on products. However, no statement on a dietary supplement may expressly or implicitly represent that it will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent a disease.
Food and Dietary Supplement Advertising
The FTC exercises jurisdiction over the advertising of foods and dietary supplements. The FTC has the power to institute monetary sanctions and the imposition of consent decrees and penalties that can severely limit a company’s business practices. In recent years, the FTC has instituted numerous enforcement actions against dietary supplement companies for failure to have adequate substantiation for claims made in advertising or for the use of false or misleading advertising claims.
Compliance
As is common in our industry, we rely on our suppliers and contract manufacturers, including those of our private label products, to ensure that the products they manufacture and sell to us comply with all applicable regulatory and legislative requirements. We do not directly manufacture any goods. In general, we seek certifications of compliance, representations and warranties, indemnification or insurance from our suppliers and contract manufacturers. However, even with adequate insurance and indemnification, any claims of non-compliance could significantly damage our reputation and consumer confidence in products we sell. In addition, the failure of such products to comply with applicable regulatory and legislative requirements could prevent us from marketing the products or require us to recall or remove such products from our clubs. In order to comply with applicable statutes and regulations, our suppliers and contract manufacturers have from time to time reformulated, eliminated or relabeled certain of their products, and we have revised certain provisions of our sales and marketing program.
We monitor changes in these laws and believe that we are in material compliance with applicable laws.
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Seasonality
Our business is moderately seasonal in nature. Historically, our business has generally realized a slightly higher portion of net sales, operating income and cash flows from operations in the second and fourth fiscal quarters, attributable primarily to the impact of the summer and year-end holiday season, respectively. Our quarterly results have been and will continue to be affected by the timing of new club openings and their associated pre-opening expenses. As a result of these factors, our financial results for any single quarter or for periods of less than a year are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
As of January 28, 2023, we had over 34,000 full-time and part-time employees, whom we refer to as team members. None of our team members are represented by a union. We consider our relations with our team members to be good.
Team Member Engagement . We provide all team members with the opportunity to share their opinions and feedback on our culture through a survey that is performed every year. Results of the survey are measured and analyzed to enhance the team member experience, promote retention of team members, drive change, and leverage the overall success of our Company.
Diversity . We strive to foster a work environment that includes and embraces diversity of background and perspective, including, but not limited to, with respect to age, gender, race, place of residence and specialized experience. As of the end of fiscal year 2022, 43% of our total workforce were women and 55% were minorities. During fiscal year 2022, 41% of our new hires were women and 66% of our new hires were minorities. We have a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination and harassment and have several systems under which team members can report incidents confidentially or anonymously and without fear of reprisal. We have an Inclusion & Diversity Council which is comprised of a cross-functional team representing diversity of backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, and self-identification. This council is responsible for identifying and driving actions and initiatives to advance the Company’s inclusion and diversity mission.
Total Rewards . We believe our team members are the key to our success and we offer competitive programs to meet the needs of our colleagues and their families. Our programs include annual bonuses, 401(k) plans, stock awards, an employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, flexible work schedules, family leave, team member assistance programs, and more, based on eligibility criteria. We take the health and wellness of our team members seriously. We provide our eligible team members with access to a variety of innovative, flexible and convenient health and wellness programs. Additionally, the Company provides resources, such as an onsite chiropractor, a health clinic and access to a fitness center for team members. Such programs are designed to support team members’ physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status and encourage engagement in healthy behaviors. The Company also provides team members with comprehensive medical benefits, dental, and behavioral and mental wellness benefits.
Team Member Development . Training and development programs for our team members help retain and advance them into future roles with the company. We provide online and on-the-job training through innovative delivery tools which are easy to use and focused on the core skills needed to be successful at the Company. We provide several management and leadership programs that develop and educate our leaders so they can provide the best work environment and growth opportunities to all our team members.
Community Involvement . We have a long and proud history of investing in the communities where we live and work. BJ’s Charitable Foundation was established with the mission to enrich every community BJ’s Wholesale Club serves. The Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that primarily benefit the underprivileged in the areas of hunger prevention and education. Throughout the year, the Foundation makes multiple direct donations from the Company to support food banks and pantry programs in communities that our clubs serve.
Corporate Information
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. (formerly Beacon Holding, Inc.) was incorporated on February 23, 2018. On July 2, 2018, BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. became a publicly traded entity in connection with its IPO and listing on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the ticker symbol "BJ." Our principal operating subsidiary is BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings.
We make available on our website (http://www.bjs.com), or through a link posted on our website, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). In addition, the
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SEC maintains an internet site that contains these reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC (http://www.sec.gov).
The information on our website or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference and should not be considered to be a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Information About our Executive Officers
The following are the executive officers of BJ’s Wholesale Club as of March 16, 2023:
Name Age Office and Business Experience
Robert W. Eddy 50 Robert W. Eddy has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2021. Mr. Eddy joined the Company in 2007 as Senior Vice President, Finance and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2011 and served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer from 2018 to April 2021 when he became President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining BJ’s, Mr. Eddy served retail and consumer products companies as a member of the audit and business advisory practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, in Boston and San Francisco. Mr. Eddy is a graduate of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.
Mr. Eddy currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Retail Federation. From 2013 to 2017, Mr. Eddy chaired the Financial Executives Council of the National Retail Federation. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of The Boston Children's Hospital and is a member of the College Advisory Board for Babson College.
Laura L. Felice 41 Laura L. Felice has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer since April 2021. From November 2016 to April 2021, Ms. Felice served as Senior Vice President, Controller and was responsible for the integrity of our financial records. Before joining BJ’s, Ms. Felice worked at Clarks Americas, Inc., a British shoe manufacturer and retailer, and held positions of increasing responsibility since 2008. She served most recently as Senior Vice President of Finance from November 2015 to November 2016, where she led all aspects of commercial finance for the Americas region distribution channels. Additionally, Ms. Felice worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a multinational professional services firm from 2003 to 2008. She is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as a Board member, Vice-Chair and Finance Committee Chair for the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. Ms. Felice also currently serves a a Board member of Broadstone Net Lease, LLC (NYSE: BNL). She holds a Master of Accounting and a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Finance and Accounting from Boston College.
Paul Cichocki 53 Paul Cichocki has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer since April 2021 and oversees merchandising, membership, marketing and analytics. From April 2020 to April 2021, Mr. Cichocki served as Executive Vice President, Membership, Analytics and Business Transformation and was responsible for the strategy and vision for the Company's membership, marketing and analytics divisions. Prior to joining BJ’s, Mr. Cichocki most recently served as Partner at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, from 2005 to April 2020, where he led Bain’s scale consulting delivery capabilities and was responsible for integrating and coordinating Bain’s consulting support and delivery organizations globally. He initially joined Bain & Company in 1997 as a consultant and spent more than 20 years serving clients across a range of industries, including retail, consumer products, financial services and food and beverage. Mr. Cichocki was also a member of Bain & Company’s Global Operating Committee from 2017 to 2020 and Investment Committee from 2019 to 2020. Prior to Bain & Company, Mr. Cichocki worked as an Operating Manager at Frito-Lay, a snack manufacturing division of PepsiCo., from 1991 to 1995. Mr. Cichocki attended Harvard Business School, where he earned a Master of Business Administration with distinction. He is also a graduate from the University of Massachusetts, where he received a bachelor’s degree in operations management with high honors.
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Jeff Desroches 46 Jeff Desroches joined BJ's in 2001 and has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer since April 2018. As Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Desroches leads all operations, Club Team Members, Regional Field Staff, and policies and procedures at all the Company’s clubs and fuel stations as well as omni fulfillment, supply chain and asset protection. Prior to that, Mr. Desroches held several positions at BJ's, including Regional Asset Protection Manager for the Metro New York market from 2001 to 2007, Vice President of Asset Protection from 2007 to 2010 and Senior Vice President of Supply Chain from 2010 until his promotion to his current role in April 2018. Prior to BJ’s, Mr. Desroches held various operational and warehousing roles at Service Merchandise Company, Inc., a retail chain, from 1993 to 2000 and Kmart Corporation, a discount department store chain, from 2000 to 2001. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration from American Intercontinental University.
Scott Kessler 56 Scott Kessler has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer since May 2017 and is responsible for information technology, including ensuring that the Company has the technology, systems and people in place to support the Company’s transformation. Prior to joining the Company, he was Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer at Belk, Inc., a department store chain, from 2014 to October 2016, where he led efforts to strengthen the information technology systems, improve system operations and further define the omnichannel roadmap. Prior to that, Mr. Kessler was Senior Vice President, Products Technology at GSI Commerce, Inc., a technology and services company, from 2004 to 2013. Mr. Kessler holds a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Graham N. Luce 53 Graham N. Luce currently serves as our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and provides senior management with strategic advice on Company initiatives, complex business transactions and litigation, as well as counsel on all corporate governance-related matters. He joined the Company in April 2015 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and served in that role until March 2023. Prior to jointing the Company, Mr. Luce worked at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, from 2000 to April 2015 and Goodwin Procter LLP, a global law firm, from 1995 to 2000. He holds a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law and bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Electrical Engineering from Tufts University.
Monica Schwartz 48 Monica Schwartz has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer since October 2021 and is responsible for driving the Company’s vision and strategy for its e-commerce and omnichannel efforts. She joined the Company in August 2020 and previously served as our Senior Vice President, Chief Digital Officer from August 2020 to October 2021. Ms. Schwartz most recently served as Vice President, Online Merchandising at The Home Depot, Inc., a home improvement retailer, from December 2017 to September 2019 and was responsible for the e-commerce site and driving innovation. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Vice President of Digital at Nine West Group, a fashion retailer, from 2015 to 2017. From 2014 to 2015 Ms. Schwartz served as Chief Global Digital Officer at Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC, a women’s footwear and handbag retailer. From 2012 to 2014, she served as Executive Director, e-commerce at David Yurman Enterprises, LLC, a jewelry design company. Prior to that she held positions of increasing responsibility at E-bay, Inc., an e-commerce corporation, from 2007 to 2012. From 2005 to 2007, she held positions with Countrywide Financial Corporation, a financial services company, and from 1998 to 2001 she held positions with MediaHippo, an interactive media agency. She holds a Master of Business Administration at the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Miami University.
William C. Werner 45 William C. Werner has served as our Executive Vice President, Strategy and Development since April 2021 and is responsible for building the Company’s market expansion and key strategic initiatives. Previously, Mr. Werner served as our Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Investor Relations from November 2016 to April 2021, Senior Vice President, Finance from 2013 to November 2016 and as our Vice President, Accounting and Financial Reporting from 2012 to 2013. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Werner was a Director in the Deals practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a multinational professional services firm, from 2007 to 2012. He holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Mathematics and Accounting from the College of the Holy Cross.
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