Michael J. Bender (l) and Doug Barnes, Jr.
DALLAS—Eyemart Express has named Michael J. Bender as chief executive officer and president, effective Jan. 1, 2018. He most recently served as chief operating officer of Walmart's Global eCommerce business. Former Eyemart Express CEO Doug Barnes, Jr. is now serving the company as chairman. Under his leadership, Barnes brought in a new executive team. He also saw the organization through an ownership change from a private family to private equity company FFL Partners. "We are honored to have Michael join our executive team," said Barnes. "We have spent the last two years rounding out our leadership team, and Michael's long record of retail experience and leadership style made him an ideal fit for Eyemart Express. “We are confident that he will continue the momentum we established in providing a convenient and quality eyecare solution for our customers nationwide.”

Bender has a comprehensive manufacturing, retail and health care background with over 30 years of experience developing high caliber work teams, optimizing supply chain operations and leading strategic growth in stores and online. He developed his career with positions at Walmart, Cardinal Health, Victoria's Secret Stores and PepsiCo.

Eyemart Express operates 178 stores in 35 states under the Vision4Less, VisionMart Express and Eyewear Express brands. The company ranked 10th in Vision Monday’s 2017 Top Retailers Report, based on sales of $245 million in 2016.