Wal-Mart Stores said Joel Anderson, chief executive of its US Web site, Walmart.com, would step down, at a time the company plans to speed up investments in technology to boost sales at its fast-growing e-commerce business.
Fernando Madeira, CEO of Latin America eCommerce at Wal-Mart, will replace Anderson, according to a company memo seen by Reuters.
Madeira will now relocate to San Bruno, California, from Brazil to assume additional responsibility for Wal-Mart's US markets, the memo said.
Anderson will take up a job at a different company, Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Toporek told Reuters in an e-mail.
Wal-Mart appointed Gregory Penner as vice-chairman on Friday, showing the world's largest retailer is looking at younger executives to revive its fortunes.
Penner is now in a position to succeed chairman Rob Walton, his 69-year-old father-in-law.
Penner's appointment comes at a time when the company's US same-store sales are falling and it is struggling to move past a bribery scandal at its Mexico unit that has cost it more than $500 million since 2012.
The company, in May, forecast a current-quarter profit that fell short of analysts' expectations, after quarterly sales grew at their slowest pace in nearly five years.
Wal-Mart is also facing increasing dissent from its employees who, backed by unions, are demanding higher wages, better benefits and more full-time jobs.
The US retailer has a majority stake in SA's Massmart, which owns outlets such as Game and Dion Wired.
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