atement.  Tsoukalas has been with Heinemann Australia since 2019 and is currently head of marketing and category management. He previously held the role of head of operations at Heinemann Australia, helping to steer the business through the Covid crisis. He will take up the role on January 17, 2022 “George has been with Heinemann for a number of years and brings with him a depth and breadth of experience in our sector, both from the brand and retailer perspective. He is a great example of our core Heinemann value of leading through trust and he is the right person to guide our business through recovery,” said Johannes Sammann, Heinemann Asia Pacific chief operating officer. Sammann thanked Richard Goodman for his five years of service to the business and wished him every success. Kathmandu hires international team to lead expansion New Zealand-based outdoor giant Kathmandu has hired a new general manager of international, Alexandre Gilbert, to drive overseas growth of the business. According to a statement from the brand, Gilbert will be focusing on expansion across Europe, Asia and North America. Kathmandu has also set up showrooms across Germany, France, UK and Canada and made several appointments across key global markets. Mathieu Lefin was named president of Rip Curl and Kathmandu for Europe, while Etienne Lassus as European sales manager. Florian Ascher was named country manager for Rip Curl and Kathmandu for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Max Wallder is now the business’ UK sales manager. In Canada, Nick Russell is now VP sales and marketing, while Eric Eichberger is sales manager for Kathmandu. The announcements come after the business committed to a global rebrand earlier this year in an effort to become more inclusive, accessible and fun to a wider audience. According to global chief executive Reuben Casey, the business wanted to distance itself from the traditional ‘elitist’, masculine-focused outdoor experience. “When we look at our competitors around the world, they’re very serious, masculine and achievement-focused – you see people climbing up a mountain in the snow and rain. That’s not us. Kiwis and Aussies like to get out there and have fun with their mates, that’s the spirit and attitude that we want to foster with our customers,” Casey told Inside Retail. “Our new purpose is to improve the wellbeing of the world through the outdoors.” Walmart to hire over 3000 drivers Walmart has announced plans to hire more than 3000 US delivery drivers to support its grocery delivery service. The retailer, which said it has about 100 drivers at present, expects to extend its reach from six million homes to 30 million by the end of the year.  Walmart launched its InHome delivery service in 2019. The service sees workers deliver groceries directly into homes, sometimes into kitchens or garage refrigerators when customers are not there.  It also plans to build out a fleet of all-electric delivery vans as part of its strategy to compete against other big online grocery players such as Amazon’s Whole Foods, Instacart and Uber.