BJs appoints David Atkins vice president of own brands
BJ's Wholesale Club, Westborough, Mass., said it named David Atkins vice president of own brands, a new position at the company. Atkins will be responsible for brand strategy, marketing, analysis and further development of the Berkley Jensen and Wellsley Farms brands, which were recently redefined to span the total non-food and food portfolio.
Atkins brings to BJ's more than 20 years of experience developing own brands into true points of difference at leading retailers in North America. He started his career in sales and marketing at Whirlpool Corp., where he managed the KitchenAid, Whirlpool and Kenmore brands. He eventually transitioned into retail with Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle Inc., where he was director of its own brands, non-foods and natural/specialty foods for 12 years. Most recently, Atkins led a team of brand managers at Meijer Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich., overseeing business development for own brands in the pet, baby, consumables and drugstore categories, BJ's said.