Content about Edward Lampert

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holding Corp. said its net loss for the quarter ended on Feb. 2 narrowed to $489 million from $2.4 billion a year earlier. Total costs dropped 2.2% to $12.88 billion in the fourth quarter.

Revenue declined 1.8% to $12.26 billion, but beat analysts' average estimate of $11.77 billion.

Sears results came weeks after the company’s chairman and largest shareholder, Edward Lampert, took the reins as CEO in the wake of the departure of Louis D'Ambrosio, who resigned for a family-related health problem.

New York -- In a surprise move, Sears Holdings Corp. announced that CEO Louis J. D'Ambrosio will step down as CEO, effective Feb. 2, for family health reasons. D'Ambrosio will be replaced by the company's chairman and its largest shareholder, Edward Lampert.

New York -- Two directors of Best Buy Co. have resigned from the board of the retailer, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

G. "Mike" Mikan, who served as Best Buy's interim CEO in the wake of CEO Brian Dunn’s resignation last April, has left the board to become president of ESL Investments Inc., the hedge fund run by Sears’ Edward Lampert. Mikan, whose appointment is effective Jan. 1, will report to Lampert, the firm said today in a statement.

New York -- Edward Lampert, chairman of Sears Holdings, presented an ambitious plan on Wednesday to improve the company’s performance that includes updating store layouts and signage and investing in its rewards program, Reuters reported.

“We are not here to just survive. We are here to transform,” Lampert told shareholders at the company's annual meeting, according to the report.

Sears is focusing on better inventory management, having the right fashions and being more customer friendly, the report said.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- In a move to ensure that vendors continue to supply Sears its goods, Sears Holdings Corp.'s top shareholder ESL Investments, a hedge fund owned by Edward Lampert, has agreed to assume some payment obligations.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday and reported by Reuters, Sears said ESL made a deal on Jan. 26 with a financial institution to acquire 80% interest in an agreement designed to ensure payment to vendors in the event of a bankruptcy filing by a company.

New York City -- A report by Reuters on Tuesday revealed widespread Wall Street speculation that Sears Holdings Corp. may go private.

"There is a rumor that Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme and Eddie Lampert could take Sears private," Jon Najarian, a co-founder of TradeMonster.com in Chicago, told Reuters.
 
Sears has not commented on the rumors, which come days after CIT Group halted loans that Sears' suppliers use to finance the goods they sell to the Sears and Kmart chains.

New York City -- Sears Holdings' new CEO, Louis D'Ambrosio, committed himself on Tuesday to help turn around the faltering chain by emphasizing its core brands, including Craftsman, Kenmore and Land's End, and by smarter marketing to customers, the Associated Press reported.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. has named a former technology executive as its new chief executive. The struggling retailer’s three-year search for a permanent CEO came to an end with the announcement on Wednesday that it has appointed Lou D’Ambrosio as chief executive and president. He will assume the office and join Sears’ board on Feb. 24.

New York City -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that hedge fund billionaire and Sears Holding Corp. chairman Edward Lampert has reported holding a 5.8% stake in Gap Inc.

Lampert reported the stake in a 13G filing, or a filing for passive investors, with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday.

His ESL Partners company and affiliates reported beneficially holding 35 million common shares.