Aug 28 (Reuters) - Walgreens on Thursday named retail

veteran Mike Motz as its chief executive officer after the U.S.

pharmacy chain was taken private by Sycamore Partners, marking a

fresh chapter for the company that has been struggling to keep

pace with rivals.

The management shake-up came on the heels of Sycamore's

roughly $10 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance ( WBA ),

completed earlier in the day.

Motz, previously the CEO of office supplies chain Staples'

U.S. retail business, will succeed Tim Wentworth and steer the

ailing pharmacy operator as it shifts its focus back on core

retail and pharmacy operations. He had also worked as the

president of Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart.

Walgreens has struggled to expand beyond its pharmacy

business and diversify into broader healthcare services, even as

budget-conscious consumers increasingly turned to lower-cost

options from Amazon ( AMZN ) and Walmart ( WMT ) for their

prescriptions and toiletries.

Wentworth, who took the helm in 2023, spearheaded a

turnaround at the company through cost cuts, including the

removal of multiple mid-level executives and store closures.

Wentworth will continue to serve as a director, Walgreens said.

The company also appointed John Lederer, a former director

of Walgreens Boots Alliance ( WBA ) and a senior adviser to Sycamore, as

executive chairman.