Sears opens an e-commerce operation in downtown Chicago

Along with hiring a new head of e-commerce, Sears Holdings Corp. is opening an e-commerce operation in a new, but familiar location: Chicago’s Loop.

In September, Sears, No. 7 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, named former Williams-Sonoma Inc. web retail executive Paul Miller as its new senior vice president of direct commerce. He replaced Chris Shimojima, who is now vice president, global e-commerce for Nike Corp.

Miller will oversee the opening of an e-commerce development center at a new location in Sears’ flagship store at 2 N. State St. "Chicago has long been a part of Sears` heritage and we`re excited about the opportunity to bring these highly skilled, salaried jobs to the vibrant downtown area," Miller says. "We chose downtown because of its proximity to a strong pool of e-commerce talent, as well as the colleges and universities in the city as we continue to seek the best and brightest minds to support our initiatives."

The center will eventually employ about 100 information technology workers.