Dive Brief:
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Sears Holdings Tuesday said the company has named Joelle Maher president and chief member officer of its Sears stores.
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Maher comes from children’s apparel retailer Gymboree, where she was COO for two years, and Levi’s, where she worked in various positions for seven years, including chief of global retail. She also has experience at Lucky Brand Jeans, Old Navy, Macy’s East, and Lord & Taylor.
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At Sears, Maher fills a newly created position, from which she’ll oversee Sears stores and the company’s well-performing Shop Your Way omnichannel program.
Dive Insight:
Sears has made a bold move in choosing Maher, an experienced yet young retail executive. The company’s fate has been written off several times over, but has gained new signs of life with an influx of cash thanks to its recent REIT spinoff.
Hiring Maher to a new role that will oversee the Shop Your Way program is in line with CEO Eddie Lampert's stated goal to move "from a traditional retail operating model to a member-centric operating model," which he announced last August after dismal second quarter 2014 results. During this year's first quarter, members of Sear's Shop Your Way program drove 74% of eligible sales.
The company has also made some tough calls, closing underperforming stores and concentrating on omnichannel efforts that arguably put it ahead of many much stronger retailers, with innovations like curbside pickup.
The once-iconic retailer could be in a position to finally emerge from its rut if Maher and team can take advantage of the company’s limited strengths.
"I am incredibly proud and humbled to be joining such an iconic brand at this critical time during the company's transformation," Maher said in a memo to Sears employees Tuesday. "My goal is to meet as many of you as I can, and take this opportunity to partner with the leadership team to continue positioning Sears as a member-focused, fully integrated retailer and bring us back to the top."