Sam’s Club Names New Director Of Wine

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 2008—Sam’s Club has named Dex McCreary, Merchandise Director of Wine, Beer and Spirits. Most recently, McCreary was national wine buyer for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., joining the company in 2007. His experiences span a variety of specialties including but not limited to, operations management, sales and marketing. He also has developed strong global alliances with suppliers, winemakers, wine educators, distributors and other industry constituents.

McCreary led the launch of the Wal-Mart private label wine Oak Leaf, which may be one of the most successful launches in the history of U.S. wine. The wine was recognized at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition taking home bronze and silver awards and it has received other accolades.

Prior to joining Wal-Mart, McCreary had a very successful career with Beam Wine Estates as a National Account Manager where he built lasting industry relationships with key retail accounts, distributors, and other suppliers. In addition, he held a similar role with Vincor USA from 2003 to 2005, which at the time was one of the largest wine companies in the world.

“We are looking forward to further advancing our wine and spirits offering for our members and growing this important category with Dex” said Greg Spragg, executive vice president of merchandising at Sam’s Club. “We expect his perspective and prior experience to complement our existing team and the work they have accomplished to date to establish Sam’s Club in this space.”

Sam’s Club offers wine in 450 locations in the U.S. Exclusive wines available at Sams’ Club include Veo and Torres Tormenta from Chile among others. In addition, Sam’s Club is always searching for limited production and restaurant quality wines along with staple favorites to meet its members’ needs for quality at great values.