Former Giant-Landover Prez Joins Sears

Sears Holdings Corp. has hired grocery industry veteran Robin Michel to be its SVP and president – food & consumables and health & wellness. In her new role, which began last month, Michel is responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth both in-store and online for the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company’s food & consumables, health & beauty, and pharmacy business units.

“Robin brings to the company a wealth of expertise in the grocery and pharmacy industry,” said Bruce Johnson, Sears’ interim CEO and president. “Under Robin’s leadership, we’ll be able to uniquely serve our customers by providing them greater value in all areas of health, including wellness, lifestyle, diet and nutrition, while offering over 1,000 pharmacy locations nationwide.”

Michel’s most recent position was president of Giant Foods in Landover, Md., a division of Ahold USA, in which capacity she led merchandising, store operations, finance, supply chain, real estate and human resources. During her extensive career in the grocery and pharmacy industry, she has held executive roles at such companies as Roundy’s Supermarkets, 7-Eleven, H-E-B and Kroger Co., where she started her career, rising from store director to VP during her time there.

Sears Holdings is the fourth-largest broadline retailer in the United States, with about 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company operates through its subsidiaries, which include Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corp.