Retail in Asia

In People

Woolworths logisitics boss Julie Coates hits the road

Julie Coates, one of Woolworths’ most senior executives and potential CEO candidate, has suddenly quit the retailer just 10 months into leading a crucial billion dollar project to transform the company’s supply and logistics operations.

It leaves the project, dubbed Mercury 2, without a clear leader at a time when bricks-and-mortar retailers such as Woolworths are scrambling to restructure their supply chain and logistics systems to cope with the shift to online shopping.

Woolworths said Ms Coates, director of business transformation, had decided to leave the AUD45 billion (USD42.34b) retail group "to pursue other career opportunities".