Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Aventura, Fla. -- In another move to capitalize on its extensive real estate portfolio, Sears Holdings Corp. has submitted plans to the City of Aventura in Florida for the redevelopment of the Sears property at Aventura Mall into an open-air village that will feature retail, restaurants, offices and a hotel.

 

SearsRugs.com is the name of a new online marketplace that promises to make shopping for high end affordable rugs easy and fun.

The site launched recently and promises access to tens of thousands of the best handmade and machine-made rugs from around the world. SearsRugs.com, a licensee of Sears Holdings, said it is working with the retailer to provide an easy and fun shopping experience and indicated the relationship would give SearsRugs.com a substantial position in the online rug market.

Customers and Shop Your Way members can shop Black Friday deals at most Sears stores starting as early as 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Sears’ subsidiary Kmart, continuing a 23-year tradition as a destination for early-bird shopping, will open for 42 hours straight, from 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving to midnight on Black Friday.

New York -- Investor website Seeking Alpha reported on Thursday that Sears Holdings Corp. is closing more than 100 stores and laying off at least 5,457 employees. The report, which Sears said was inaccurate, said the shutterings include 30 Sears stores, 31 Sears Auto Centers and 46 Kmart stores.  

Hoffman Estates, Ill. –- An inventory clerk at a Sears Holding Corp. distribution center in Logan Township, N.J., has reportedly been arrested for stealing merchandise worth $3.7 million in retail value and selling it for both cash and bartered services to a network of individuals in the tri-state area. According to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, following an investigation by Sears loss prevention officials and local and county police, Kim Watson, 32, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 17.  

Seattle –- Amazon.com and Sears Holdings Corp. have both reportedly removed men’s rings featuring the Nazi swastika emblem from their websites after public complaints. According to the Wall Street Journal, in both instances the items were sold by third-party vendors, but the companies handled the complaints differently.  

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. has named Ronald D. Boire, executive VP/chief merchandising officer of Sears Full Line Stores and Kmart Format, as acting president and CEO of Sears Canada. Boire will leave his role with Sears Holdings and replaces former Sears Canada CEO Douglas Campbell, who the company previously said would leave his post by the end of 2014.  

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Kmart is the latest retailer to be hit by a payment data breach. The breach was discovered last Thursday by the chain’s information technology team, and the company immediately launched an investigation with a leading security firm, according to Kmart’s parent company, Sears Holdings Corp.   

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. is selling most of its 51% stake in its Sears Canada division to shareholders as its looks to boost its liquidity before the crucial holiday selling season. Sears, which previously said it was exploring options for the struggling Sears Canada unit and retained Bank of America Merrill Lynch in May 2014, expects to raise as much as $380 million by November 2014.