Kmart exec to head up Pier I

A former executive at Sears Holdings Corp. has has been named president and CEO of Pier I Imports.



Alasdair James, 46, will take the reins of the home décor chain on May 1, 2017. He replaces Alex Smith, who was ousted from the company at the end of last year amid slumping sales.



James has served since 2014 as president of Kmart. Prior to that, he was at Tesco PLC, where he held several senior executive roles, including commercial director of the global business unit as well as executive VP and commercial director of Tesco China.



James spent his early career in international marketing and account management, first at PepsiCo and then at GlaxoSmithKline PLC.



“With more than 15 years of retail and consumer goods experience in the U.S., U.K. and China, Alasdair has the expertise and global operating skills necessary to drive long-term success for our brand.” said Terry E. London, chairman, Pier 1 Imports. “He is a proven leader in the consumer space, broadly-skilled in sales, marketing, brand management and data analytics, with a track record of implementing consumer-facing initiatives to transform businesses in tough environments while driving operational improvement.”