The former Tom & Co top executive will take over leadership of Japanese retail company Seiyu as of March 15th. Seiyu is a subsidiary of retail giant Walmart.
Chain for sale
Walmart has been leaving the position of CEO at Seiyu open ever since the departure of Takeshi Kamigochi last year. The plan was to sell Seiyu and retreat from Japan. Unfortunately, the process of selling the chain has proved to be quite difficult: the American company can’t seem to find a buyer. For that reason, they decided to fill in the top position after all. Desclée will also become CEO of Walmart Japan Holdings.
39 year-old Lionel Desclée worked for Delhaize Group in Belgium and the USA for many years. He was also manager of pet shop chain Tom & Co. When Delhaize dropped the company in 2016, a management buyout led to Desclée becoming co-owner alongside Thierry le Grelle. In October of 2018 he announced his departure. The rather mysterious press release stated he had left “to meet a new operational challenge at a world leader in Asia”. Desclée has kept his interest in Tom & Co and will remain a member of the board of directors.
