7-Eleven shuffled the roles of several of its top merchandising and franchising executives in recent weeks, continuing a busy first quarter highlighted by the convenience retailer’s approaching North American IPO and potential merger with Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Tom Lesser, former senior vice president of operations services, was appointed SVP of operations for 7-Eleven’s franchised stores, according to the company’s website and as Lesser noted this week on LinkedIn. That position was most recently held by Randy Quinn, who is now SVP of merchandising for vault and proprietary beverages, according to the company website.
Lesser has held numerous operational roles since joining 7-Eleven in 1999, including managing director and COO for 7-Eleven Mexico. Quinn has also worked across various company divisions since joining in 2006, including store development, acquisition integration, merchandising and financial planning.
Quinn is replacing Dennis Phelps, who is now SVP of center store and field merchandising, according to 7-Eleven’s website. That position was formerly held by Jasmeet Singh Chawla, who was recently appointed SVP of merchandising for tobacco and services.
Phelps has been with 7-Eleven for over 40 years, having led the retailer’s frozen foods, snacks, confections, and fresh food businesses, and was responsible for introducing 7-Eleven’s line of wines. Chawla, meanwhile, has held roles across 7-Eleven’s merchandising, logistics, franchising, and acquisitions teams since 2004.
None of these executive changes were made as of early March, according to an internal list of 7-Eleven’s employees from that month obtained by C-Store Dive. That list, as well as 7-Eleven’s website, reflects that Chawla’s tobacco-focused leadership role is a newly created position.
Representatives from 7-Eleven did not respond to multiple requests to comment on why the company made these executive changes.
As 7-Eleven undergoes these shifts, parent company Seven & i Holdings has also overseen significant leadership changes in recent weeks. The Japanese conglomerate named its next CEO, Stephen Dacus, in early March, while 7-Eleven CEO Joseph DePinto resigned from Seven & i’s board of directors.
