Pier 1 Imports Inc. has imported Kmart’s president to be its new CEO and president, and U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc. has promoted a nine-year veteran to its top post.
Alasdair James will start his new job on May 1 at Pier 1, No. 124 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide. He replaces Alex Smith, who stepped down from the home furnishings retail chain at the end of 2016.
James had been at Kmart (parent company Sears Holdings is No. 14) since July 2014. He also spent about seven years with mass merchant Tesco Stores, No. 3 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Europe 500.
“He is a proven leader in the consumer space, broadly skilled in sales, marketing, brand management and data analytics, with a track record of implementing consumer-facing initiatives to transform businesses in tough environments while driving operational improvement,” Pier 1 board chairman Terry London said of James.
In December, Pier 1 reported in its fiscal third quarter 2017 earnings report that online accounted for 20% of sales through the first nine months of the fiscal year, or $260.0 million, up 13.3% year over year from $229.5 million during the same time the previous year.
In 2015, Pier 1 won the Internet Retailer Excellence Award for Comeback of the Year, awarded to the Top 1000 e-retailer showing the greatest growth after a year or two of declining sales. Pier 1 had exited e-commerce for five years before stepping back into the ring in 2012.
Meanwhile, auto parts retailer U.S. Auto Parts Network (No. 128) promoted chief operating officer Aaron Coleman to CEO after Shane Evangelist resigned.
Coleman joined U.S. Auto Parts in April 2008 as its chief information officer and was promoted to chief operating officer two years later. Coleman has also worked at American Airlines and movie rental chain Blockbuster. Evangelist had been CEO since 2007.
“Aaron’s nine years of service to U.S. Auto Parts have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does,” said Robert Majteles, chairman of the board. “We are also grateful for Shane’s service to U.S. Auto Parts and we want to thank Shane for his strategic vision and leadership.”