Sears Holdings Names John Walden as Chief Customer Officer
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) today announced that John C. Walden will join the company January 29, 2007 as executive vice president, chief customer officer.
Walden, who will have services, marketing and the direct commerce businesses reporting to him, will be charged with driving customer-focused strategies and new business development for Sears Holdings. He will report to Edward S. Lampert, Chairman of the Board, and be a member of the Office of the Chairman.
"I am very excited to add John's retail experience and demonstrated track record of success to the Sears Holdings' management team. We believe that John will help us accelerate the company's journey to become more entrepreneurial and customer-driven," said Mr. Lampert.
Prior to joining Sears Holdings, Walden spent approximately eight years as a senior executive at Best Buy and was a leader in its move towards being a more customer-centric organization. Most recently, he served as executive vice president of Best Buy's Customer Business Group, and was previously that company's executive vice president of human capital and leadership and its President of the Internet and direct marketing division. Prior to joining Best Buy, Walden served as Chief Operating Officer of Peapod, Inc., an Internet supermarket. Walden has also held general management roles with Ameritech Corp. and Storage Technology Corp., and practiced law with Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood in Chicago.
About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's third largest broadline retailer, with approximately $55 billion in annual revenues, and with approximately 3,800 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U.S. by Kmart and in Canada by Sears Canada. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at .
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SOURCE: Sears Holdings Corporation
CONTACT: Sears Holdings Public Relations, +1-847-286-8371
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