Sears Holdings announces Sears president/chief member officer

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings, parent of Sears and Kmart, has hired former Gymboree coo Joelle Maher as president and chief member officer for the Sears business.

She will be responsible for developing Sears’ Shop Your Way membership business strategy, managing the Sears P&L and aligning merchandising, marketing, pricing and selling.

The company has been working to transition from a traditional retail format to a membership-driven concept. During the first quarter of the current fiscal year, Shop Your Way transactions accounted for 74% of sales in Sears full-line and Kmart stores.

As chief operating officer at Gymboree, Maher oversaw stores, planning and allocation, real estate and construction, international, distribution and logistics, operational process and strategy, and information technology. Prior to Gymboree, she spent seven years at Levi Strauss & Company in various senior leadership roles, including serving as evp and president of global multichannel retail. She also worked at Lucky Brand Jeans for seven years, and began her career in merchandising and planning roles at Old Navy, Macy’s East and Lord & Taylor.

“Joelle’s depth and breadth of retail and business experience and ability to achieve superior results in established organizations make her a strong fit for this member-focused role at Sears Holdings,” said Edward Lampert, Sears Holdings chairman and ceo. “She will work closely with me and our business unit leaders to lead our iconic Sears brand in its continued transformation as an integrated retail format.”