Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Dollar General chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling was elected chairman of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to fill a position held the past two years by Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel.

Dreiling’s appointment was announced at RILA’s semi-annual board of directors meeting held Sunday in Naples, Fla. Steinhafel will continue to serve as a member of organization’s executive committee.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings Corporation anticipates hiring 6,500 veterans and military spouses in 2014. The hiring goal builds on the more than 6,000 veterans and spouses hired in 2013, and nearly doubles the 3,500 hired in 2012.

The company currently employs more than 30,000 veteran associates, many of whom are still serving in the National Guard and the Reserve forces.

Perhaps no single brand had a holiday season quite as rocky as Sears. When the retailer announced a string of bad news on Jan. 9, shares of Sears Holding Corp. (which includes both Sears and Kmart) went through the floor. Holiday sales at Sears stores were down 9.2% in the nine weeks prior to Jan. 6, a brutal figure when you consider that overall retail sales were up slightly over the holidays (which I’ll discuss more in my next column).

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings has signed a sublease with Dick's Sporting Goods to occupy a portion of its second floor at the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pa. The two-story anchor building will be renovated with Sears maintaining exterior entrances on both levels and the mall entrance on level one.  

Sears and Kmart are the first companies to engage with the Pikato platform and have already seen mobile engagement rates soar 1,100%, according to Pikato.

Pikato’s retail mobile marketing solution personalizes the customer shopping experience to increase consumer engagement and deliver measurable results.

New York -- Sears Canada Inc. has entered into an arrangement with IBM to have the supplier take over the work currently performed at three internal Sears customer contact centers. The outsourcing move will take place over the next nine months and affect 1,345 employees.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. forecast a fourth-quarter loss and reported declining sales during the crucial holiday period.

With the new year come resolutions and Sears is looking to capitalize with the FitStudio.com “Points for Progress” program — a fitness rewards program that incentivizes members to incorporate movement into their daily lives to get and stay fit — with the help of pro football analyst and former Steeler Hines Ward.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Cesar L. Alvarez, co-chairman of the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP, has been elected to membership on the Sears Holdings board of directors.

Alvarez joined Greenberg Traurig in 1973. Prior to his appointment as co-chairman, Alvarez served the firm as its executive chairman for more than three years, and as its CEO 13 years. Prior to becoming CEO in 1997, he practiced securities, corporate and international law for more than 25 years.

Sears Holdings has elected law firm executive Cesar Alvarez to its board of directors.

Alvarez is co-chairman of the international law firm Greenburg Traurig, which he joined in 1973. Before his appointment as chairman, he served as executive chairman for more than three years and as its CEO for 13 years, starting in 1997.