Transform SR Brands LLC

Amazon.com is certainly known for its expertise in integrated fulfillment, and Sears Holdings Corp. is now tapping into that knowledge base.

Sears has appointed Girish Lakshman, who most recently served as VP of worldwide transportation strategy, technology and customer returns at Amazon, as president, fulfillment.

His new role will support the company's continued efforts to fulfill member and customers' needs and advance its integrated retail strategy.

Michael McCarthy spent 28 years at Sears Holdings before leaving the company in 2011, but now he’s back in new senior level role at the Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. --  Michael McCarthy spent 28 years at Sears Holdings before leaving the company in 2011, but now he is back in new senior level role at the Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores.

In 2012, Sears Holding spun off the Hometown and Outlet division, which is now the operator of 1,215 hardware, appliance and outlet stores and a separate publicly held company.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Kmart is making getting an advance jump on holiday purchases a little easier this year.

Company executives told Reuters the retailer started letting customers make no-down-payment layaway purchases for holiday items the week of Aug. 31.

With its same store sales ever on the decline, Kmart is making it even easier for shoppers to afford gifts this holiday season by introducing a new kind of layaway plan.

The retailer announced that No Money Down Layaway is returning for its second year, and for the first time ever, Kmart is introducing No Money Down Leasing. 

The National Retail Federation found that more than 40% of Americans begin shopping for the holidays prior to October and of those, 60% shop early in order to spread their budgets.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holding Corp. is protecting the assets of its pension fund following the creation of its Seritage Growth Properties real estate investment trust (REIT).

The company has entered into a five-year agreement with Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp. (PBGC) to guarantee that it will continue to make required contributions to the fund.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores Inc. posted declining profits and revenues in a generally difficult second quarter of fiscal 2015.

The retailer plans to close 40-50 underperforming stores by the end of the year, on top of 63 underperforming locations closed in the first half of 2015.

Dodgeville, Wis. – The second quarter was nothing short of a fiscal landslide for Lands’ End as the specialty retailer posted its third straight disappointing quarter. Revenue fell 10% and profit was down by more than a third.

“The results that we are sharing today do not represent the true potential of our company,” Federica Marchionni, president and CEO, told analysts during a conference call.