From Walmart to Lululemon, meet 10 CEOs stepping into retail's biggest jobs this year

• This year is shaping up to be a big one for retail CEO transitions.

• Roughly 45 retailers also said they plan to change leadership in 2025, up from about 32 the year before.

• Here are some of the major retail chains that are appointing new CEOs.

Retail is in a moment of sweeping leadership change.

The longtime CEOs at two of the largest chains, Walmart and Target, handed the reins to their proteges this year — and dozens of others are shaking up the C-suite.

The transitions come as challenges, including a global trade rebalancing, accelerated adoption of AI, and increasingly stretched US household budgets, demand new solutions.

Fresh legs might be a welcome addition in this race.

Leadership consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that 43 retail companies announced CEO exits in the first 10 months of 2025, up from 32 in the same period last year. Quite a few more have come through since then.

Here are some of the major retail chains that have gotten — or expect to get — a new CEO this year.