Hoffman Estates, IL, August 24—Sears has named Luis Padilla from rival Target Corp. to become its first president of merchandising.
Sears said Padilla, 50, last served as executive vice-president for merchandising in Target's recently sold Marshall Field's unit.
Before that, Padilla worked from 1994 to 2001 on "softlines" merchandising at the Minneapolis-based discount retailer.
Sears, based in Hoffman Estates, said Padilla's experience in department-store and discount environments, and in mall and non-mall formats, will help growth "on all fronts." Padilla will report to chairman and chief executive Alan Lacy.
Sears has about 860 department stores and more than 2,100 specialized retail locations nationwide.
