Target names new U.S. store chief to replace exiting Tina Tyler

Target has named Janna Potts as its chief officer of U.S. stores, replacing Tina Tyler, who has held the position for the past five years. Tyler is exiting the company on Jan. 8 and is the second high profile executive to leave the company in recent months.

Kathee Tesija stepped down as executive vice president of merchandising last June, becoming a consultant to the firm.

Potts is a Target veteran who joined the company’s former Mervyn’s division in 1989. During her 27 year career she held leadership roles in stores, operations and human resources, according to the company’s website. In this new role, Potts has been elevated to executive vice president and chief stores officer where she will oversee responsibility for the company’s 1,805 U.S. stores. She will report to John Mulligan, chief operating officer.

“As we continue to focus on offering our guests a seamless, uniquely Target shopping experience, we believe Janna’s strategic leadership, expertise in managing complex organizations, and her dedication to the team make her well suited for the opportunities ahead,” Mulligan said in a statement.

Potts has spent the past year in human resources after a 10-month stint as operations chief for the retailer’s failed Canadian unit. Target closed roughly 120 stores in Canada last spring.