Former Sears exec returns to familiar territory

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.

Sears Holding spun off the Hometown and Outlet division in 2012 and today the operator of 1,215 hardware, appliance and outlet stores is a separate publicly held company. The year prior to the spin off, McCarthy left his position as senior vice president and general manager of Sears full line stores for an executive vice president role overseeing Macy’s north region. Last year he joined Pep Boys as vice president of store operations and administrations. Effective Sept. 21, McCarthy will join Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores as vice president of merchandising and inventory.

"Mike is a seasoned retail professional with comprehensive experience across multiple retail disciplines at a senior executive level and he has a track record of success," said Will Powell, CEO and president of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores. "He has an extensive history with Sears Holdings Corporation, serving in many different capacities over nearly three decades, including executive-level positions in several functional areas. This includes direct experience working in our business formats, and multiple merchandising, assorting and inventory planning assignments. Not only does he understand our business model, he knows how to work effectively with dealers and franchisees.”

In his new role, McCarthy will be responsible for merchandising, assorting and inventory, including functions such as product selection and assortment planning strategy, inventory management and productivity, product and visual merchandising, product marketing and awareness strategies, promotional design, as well as vendor relationships and support.

McCarthy joined Sears Holdings in 1982 and held the role of senior vice president and general manager of Sears full-line stores from 2007 until he left the company in 2011. Previously, he served as senior vice president of retail operations and specialty retail formats, including the Sears Hometown Stores, Sears Appliance and Hardware Stores, Sears Auto Centers and Sears Outlet Stores. Other positions held during his time at Sears Holdings included vice president of merchandising, inventory and marketing for the Hometown Stores and director of merchandising planning and placement for Sears home appliances.