In a move intended to add vitality to its e-commerce operations, Sears Holdings Corp. said Dec. 7 that it will create a new E-commerce Development Center in downtown Chicago next year.
The new department will be located on the fourth floor of Sears’ flagship store on State Street. The Hoffman Estates, IL, multichannel retailer chose this location in order to be able to recruit more easily from the city’s pool of e-commerce talent as well as its colleges and universities.
It is anticipated that the center will eventually employ up to 100 skilled IT employees.
Sears‘ recent e-commerce strategy has included launching micro-Web sites targeting a niche audience with editorial content and merchandise from all three of the company’s retail divisions: Sears, Kmart and Lands’ End.
The most recent example is a site at www.ReadySetHoliday.com, which is intended to help make life easier for moms during the busy holiday season. In August, Sears introduced SimplySearsCollege.com, which was designed to help make the transition to the first year of college easier for both freshman college students and their parents.
