Costco Promotes COO of Merchandising to President

Costco (Issaquah, WA) has appointed Ron Vachris as its President and COO, the membership-based retailer announced in a regulatory filing. The board of directors also elected him as a director to fill a newly created vacancy on the board.

Vachris, 56, previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Merchandising, a position he held since 2016. He has been with the company since 2010.

Ron Jelinek, 69, has served as Costco’s CEO since 2012. Vachris’ promotion, coupled with Jelinek’s 10-year run atop the corporate ladder, has some industry observers speculating that Vachris is now positioned to be the retailer’s next chief executive.