Dive Brief:

• Staples Inc. Monday said it has moved its SVP of merchandising and online marketplace to EVP of merchandising, effective immediately.

• Peter J. Scala, who has been at Staples since 1996, replaces Mike Edwards, who has left the company. Edwards had been president of Borders bookstore in 2011 and part of the team that tried and failed to save that chain.

• Scala’s team was instrumental in moving the company beyond office supplies retail, changing up how customers think of the retailer, according to a press release. 

Dive Insight:

This shakeup in merchandising chief comes as Staples is still waiting to hear from the Federal Trade Commission on its proposed merger with Office Depot. The chief merchant position is key, especially in an area of retail that has seen customers go online and to general merchants for what it’s selling. Scala and his team may need to further redefine how people think of an office supply retailer.