Gomez, whose appointment is effective Jan. 29, was previously the senior vice-president of brand and category marketing at Target.

Gomez, since joining the company in 2013 has been "instrumental" in driving growth in Target's signature categories of baby, kids, style and wellness, the company said.

He has also held roles at PepsiCo, Quaker Oats and MillerCoors, Target said in a statement.

The Minneapolis-based company on Wednesday cut its quarterly earnings forecast after sales for the crucial November-December period came in lower than expected.

(Reporting by Gayathree Ganesan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)