TROY, Mich., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Kmart Corporation (NYSE: KM) today announced a series of executive moves effective Jan. 1, 1994, and the retirement of Glenn B. Smith, executive vice president, merchandising after 40 years of service.
Donald W. Keeble is promoted to executive vice president, merchandising and operations, assuming Smith's responsibilities. In this new position, Keeble also will oversee field operations as well as sales, quality assurance, marketing, store planning, advertising and all hardlines and softlines merchandising. Keeble will report to Joseph R. Thomas, executive vice president, U.S. Kmart Stores. Keeble previously was Kmart's senior vice president and general merchandise manager of fashions. He joined Kmart as a management trainee in 1971.
Ronald L. Buch is promoted to vice president, fashions merchandising and will assume Keeble's previous responsibilities. Leon L. Blume is promoted to divisional vice president, home fashions merchandising, assuming Buch's former responsibilities. Cecil B. Kearse is promoted to divisional vice president, men's fashion merchandising, assuming the responsibilities of Robert D. Moore who will become divisional vice president, import sourcing and fashion services. Moore will be responsible for merchandise sourcing and product development through Kmart's overseas offices and for the coordination of fashion trends for the apparel and hardlines buying organizations. Moore will report to James L. Moser who will become vice president, quality assurance, import sourcing and fashion services. Paul Foley is promoted to director, merchandise planning and analysis and will report to Buch.
Paul J. Hueber is promoted to senior vice president, sales and operations and will report to Keeble. In this new position, Hueber will directly supervise the areas of advertising, marketing, store planning, sales and operations. Hueber, who joined Kmart in 1970, previously was vice president, west/central region. Within the sales and operations division, Ronald H. Hudgens will become director, sales -- fashions, reporting to Hueber.
F. Kevin Browett is promoted to vice president, hardlines merchandising and will report to William D. Underwood, senior vice president, hardlines merchandising; Underwood reports to Keeble. Browett will maintain responsibility for pharmacy, health and beauty care, and cosmetics and will oversee merchandising for sporting goods, automotive, books, kitchenware, dinnerware, glassware, needlecrafts, notions and decorative flowers. Timothy E. Findlay, divisional vice president, sporting goods and automotive and William H. Parker, vice president, merchandising -- books and sundries (books, needlecrafts, notions, kitchenware, dinnerware, glassware, decorative flowers) now will report to Browett.
Daryl Jamison is promoted to divisional vice president, inventory management and will report directly to Thomas. Jamison will be responsible for inventory management for the hardlines and softlines divisions. James Hubbard is promoted to senior director, merchandising planning and distribution and will assume Jamison's previous responsibilities.
Kmart also announced that it will restructure its field organization and identify four regional areas (previously there were three). Vice presidents James E. Ford and John S. Valenti will be responsible for the eastern and southern regions respectively. G. William Gryson Jr. and Douglas M. Meissner will be promoted to vice president for the midwest and western regions respectively. Each regional vice president is responsible for 450 to 600 Kmart stores and will report to Hueber.
With the move to four geographic regions, Kmart also will restructure its field support organization. The stores will now report directly to regional managers, rather than reporting to both district and regional hardlines managers. The regional managers will report directly to the regional vice presidents. Current hardlines district mangers will be reassigned to other positions within Kmart with the majority becoming regional managers. District and regional manager positions in the fashion and loss prevention areas also will be realigned as part of the total Kmart field restructuring with these Harry Winston Replica individuals reassigned within Kmart stores. Under the new structure, Kmart will save more than million annually.
"With these executive moves, the entire U.S. Kmart store group is fully integrated and under the direction of the executive vice president U.S. Kmart stores, said Joseph E. Antonini, chairman, president and CEO.
"By restructuring our field organization, we will expand the responsibilities of each of our regional managers. The streamlined field organization will allow Kmart headquarters to react more quickly and better meet the needs of our Kmart stores. These combined efforts will allow Kmart to better serve our customers by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our entire organization."
Also in the U.S. Kmart division and reporting to Michael L. Skiles, senior vice president, corporate facilities, are the promotions of Donald L. Dayne, divisional vice president, site acquisition for the eastern and midwest regions and Christopher A. Rodgers, divisional vice president, site acquisition for the southern and western regions.
In its international division, Kmart announced the promotion of Steven Smalley to director, international store operations who will report directly to Thomas W. Watkins, senior vice president -- international.
In support of its Super Kmart Center division, Kmart announced the promotion of Timothy M. White to director of sales, advertising and marketing for Super Kmart Centers. White will report to Hueber.
Kmart Corporation operates more than 4,000 retail outlets in all 50 United States, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In 1994, Kmart joint venture operations will open stores in Mexico and Singapore. Kmart, currently operating 2,457 Kmart stores, also is the parent company of Builders Square, OfficeMax, The Sports Authority, Waldenbooks and Borders.
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/CONTACT: Mary Lorencz, 810-643-1021 or Mary McGeachy, 810-637-4840, both of Kmart Corp. Communications/
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