John V. Shields
Encyclopedia
John Shields is an American businessman who was the CEO of the American grocery store
chain Trader Joe's
from 1988 to 2001. Shields was voted the Master Entrepreneur of the Los Angeles Area in 1993.
Shields graduated from Stanford University
(BA, 1954 and MBA 1956) and then served in the military for two years.
Following that Shields joined Macy's California
, a department store chain, in their executive training program, rising to the position of Vice President of Operations.
n 1979 Shields left Macy's to join Mervyn's Department Stores to help in their national expansion program. In the nine years he was with them, Mervyn's expanded from 36 to 175 stores.
His retirement from Mervyn's in 1987 lasted for five weeks. John was approached by an old friend from Stanford days who had founded the Trader Joe's
grocery stores, Joe Coulombe
. What was started out a consulting assignment led to Shields becoming CEO of TJ's
a year later, when Coulombe decided to retire. During Shield's tenure TJ's grew from 27 stores to 174 stores, and from $132 million to $2 billion in sales. He retired from TJ's in 2001.
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
chain Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
from 1988 to 2001. Shields was voted the Master Entrepreneur of the Los Angeles Area in 1993.
Shields graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(BA, 1954 and MBA 1956) and then served in the military for two years.
Following that Shields joined Macy's California
Macy's West
Macy's West was a longtime division of Macy's, Inc. , representing one of the New York-based department store chain's earliest notable acquisitions and westward expansions...
, a department store chain, in their executive training program, rising to the position of Vice President of Operations.
n 1979 Shields left Macy's to join Mervyn's Department Stores to help in their national expansion program. In the nine years he was with them, Mervyn's expanded from 36 to 175 stores.
His retirement from Mervyn's in 1987 lasted for five weeks. John was approached by an old friend from Stanford days who had founded the Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
grocery stores, Joe Coulombe
Joe Coulombe
Joe Coulombe is an American entrepreneur. He is a graduate of Stanford University and is a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda. He founded the grocery store chain Trader Joe's in 1967....
. What was started out a consulting assignment led to Shields becoming CEO of TJ's
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
a year later, when Coulombe decided to retire. During Shield's tenure TJ's grew from 27 stores to 174 stores, and from $132 million to $2 billion in sales. He retired from TJ's in 2001.