Nov 14 (Reuters) - Walmart ( WMT ) on Friday announced

that CEO Doug McMillon will retire next year and will be

succeeded by insider and company veteran John Furner at a time

when retailers navigate new challenges such as artificial

intelligence and global tariffs.

Walmart ( WMT ) shares were down nearly 2% in early trading, as some

analysts noted McMillon's retirement could have come earlier

than expected. McMillon has led the world's largest retailer for

over a decade.

Here are some reactions to Walmart's ( WMT ) CEO change:

SCOT CICCARELLI, ANALYST AT TRUIST SECURITIES

"McMillon, now 59 years old, has been incredibly successful

as he has orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in U.S.

corporate history. Thus, it is difficult to argue that he won't

be missed."

"Furner is taking over one of the most desirable seats in

corporate America and, in our view, just needs to continue to

execute against the game plan they have already put in place."

STEVEN SHEMESH, ANALYST AT RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

"McMillon has been a transformational leader who embraced

technology to modernize WMT's operating model and strengthen its

long-term competitive positioning ... We view today's

announcement as normal succession planning and not in any way

related to near-term results."

"We do not anticipate any execution lapses throughout the

transition ... We'd argue that WMT has one of the deepest

leadership benches in our coverage universe, which should put

investors at ease throughout this transition."

JOSEPH FELDMAN, ANALYST AT TELSEY ADVISORY GROUP:

"While it should be a smooth transition, investors will be

sad to see McMillon depart, given how much he has done to

transform and fuel the business."

JUSTIN MCAULIFFE, RESEARCH ANALYST AT GABELLI FUNDS

"Some aspects of Doug McMillon's legacy will be leading the

company through its investment in technology, which laid the

foundation for the omnichannel transformation, expanding

internationally and elevating the in-store experience."

"John Furner has worked his way up through the company just

like Doug McMillon and has been at Walmart ( WMT ) for more than three

decades. It looks like Walmart ( WMT ) likes to groom future leadership

through serving as CEO of Sam's Club and then CEO of either

Walmart U.S. or International, so John has followed a proven

path to being named CEO."

CHUCK GROM, ANALYST AT GORDON HASKETT

"We think this was a smart move by the board, although we

also thought current Walmart International CEO Kath McLay could

have been a good fit as well."

SUZY DAVIDKHANIAN, ANALYST AT EMARKETER

"Doug McMillon's decision to retire comes as Walmart ( WMT ) is in

one of its strongest positions in years ... It's a stable

handoff amid an otherwise volatile environment."

NEIL SAUNDERS, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RETAIL AT GLOBALDATA

"We do not know the reasons Doug has decided to step down.

It is possible he has other ambitions, in politics for example,

but that remains to be seen."

"Shares are likely to fall a bit as the market is very

comfortable with Doug and impressed by his leadership - so any

change makes investors a little nervous."

ADAM SARHAN, CEO OF 50 PARK INVESTMENTS IN NEW YORK

"This is just another CEO retiring after a decent tenure.

He's been around for a while ... his stock is matching the S&P

and to me, this is just a normal retirement."

(Compiled by Neil J Kanatt, reporting by Savyata Mishra,

Juveria Tabassum, Chandni Shah and Johann M Cherian in

Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)