Former Tesco exec tapped as Kmart's president and chief member officer

Sears Holdings has appointed former Tesco executive Alasdair James as president and chief member officer for the Kmart business.



In this role, James will be responsible for driving the Kmart format strategy, managing the Kmart P&L and aligning merchandise, marketing, pricing and selling with the needs and wants of Shop Your Way members.



Since 2007, James held roles of increasing responsibility with Tesco, where he most recently served as the commercial director for the company's global business unit. Prior to that, he spent two years managing Tesco's China operations as EVP and commercial director. In addition to his experience with Tesco, James has held roles with GlaxoSmithKline and PepsiCo. He has deep experience running multi-site operations within the retail, pharma, food manufacturing and consumer packaged goods sectors.



"Alasdair will work closely with me and our business unit leaders to understand the preferences of Shop Your Way members who shop at Kmart," said Edward S. Lampert, Sears Holdings chairman and CEO. "He will be responsible for the Kmart strategy, its performance and its continued transformation as an integrated retail format."



James received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Portsmouth in Portsmouth, England.