Costco Names New President, COO

February 1, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on February 2, 2010 Costco Wholesale Corp. has named Craig Jelinek president and chief operating officer.

Prior to the promotion, Jelinek executive vice president in charge of merchandising, a position he has held since 2004. He spent the previous 20 years in various management positions in warehouse operations. Jelinek  joins the company's board of directors.

Jim Sinegal will continue as chief executive officer of the company. Sinegal, together with Chairman of the Board Jeff Brotman, Senior Executive Vice President Dick DiCerchio and Jelinek, will form an office of the president, through which the four will coordinate on major company matters.

"We are excited about Craig's elevation to his new role," Sinegal said. "He is a highly seasoned retail executive, with over 25 years' experience at our company and over 35 years' experience in the industry. We look forward to his participation in a broader range of decisions as we move the company forward."

Costco currently operates 566 warehouses, including 413 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 77 in Canada, 21 in the United Kingdom, seven in Korea, six in Taiwan, nine in Japan, 32 in Mexico and one in Australia.