More Changes at Sears

Sears Roebuck & Co. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has named a Lands' End executive to head its apparel business and appointed a new director of store operations.

According to a report in Crain's Chicago Business, Mindy Meads, who is in charge of merchandising for Lands' End (Dodgeville, Wis.), will become executive vp of Sears' softlines. She replaces Kathy Bufano, who held the position since January 2002 and is leaving the company.

Bill White, who joined Sears in 1971 and was most recently senior vp of the automotive department, has become executive vp of store operations, replacing Mary Conway, a 32-year Sears veteran who also is leaving the company.

White and Meads will both report to full-line stores president Mark Cosby, a former executive at KFC (Louisville, Ky.), who joined Sears in December.

A Sears spokesperson would not comment on whether Bufano or Conway left the company voluntarily or were fired. She would only say that Cosby is “rebuilding his team with an eye to the future.”

Meads served in senior merchandising positions with Lands' End for the past 12 years and will continue to head that clothing line. “This shows a growing influence of the Lands' End acquisition,” a Chicago retail analyst told Crain's, referring to the $1.8 billion acquisition Sears made last year. “Obviously, apparel is going to be a critical area for Sears' success.”