Dive Brief:

• Sears Holdings Corp. has hired Alasdair James, commercial director of global business at Tesco, a major U.K. supermarket chain, to be president and “chief member officer” for Kmart.

• Chief member officer is a new position at the company, designed to elevate the needs of the company’s Shop Your Way loyalty program. James will take on responsibility for Kmart’s financial performance and the merchandising, marketing, and pricing for Shop Your Way.

• Sears and Kmart have seen success with the company’s free-membership Shop Your Way program and recently brought back free in-store pickup for online orders, something it had pioneered more than a decade ago.

Dive Insight:

Many retailers are dealing with flat sales, but Sears is seen as really stumbling, emptying out many stores and selling leases. Many have predicted its demise. But recently, Shop Your Way has given the retail company some hope. The loyalty program is free to customers and so far is creating a path to a successful omni-channel strategy.