Jeffrey Woldt

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ISSAQUAH, Wash. – Like the company he now leads, Ron Vachris traces his roots in business back to Price Club, the progenitor of the membership warehouse club format, which first opened its doors a half a century ago. Nowpresident and chief executive officer of Costco Wholesale Club, Vachris started his career in 1982 as a seasonal employee working on a receiving dock at a Price Club in Arizona; 11 years later the company founded by Sol Price merged with Costco.

Walmart is in the midst of transforming its beauty business, augmenting a department long known for mass market staples with a host of innovative brands and an environment that invites shoppers to linger, learn and discover what’s new. Walmart’s new beauty experience, the reconceptualized format, features in-store beauty experts — a first for the retailer — trained to help customers sort through the complexities of the category.