Content about Sears Holdings

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart parent company Sears Holdings reported a first-quarter net loss of $170 million, or $1.58 per diluted share, in line with the company's expectations for a net loss in the range of $145 million to $195 million, or between $1.35 and $1.81 per diluted share.

The company reported 2010 net income of $16 million, or 14 cents per diluted share.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings will host its annual meeting on May 4, and attendees likely will want to know how the company plans to improve sales and return to profitability under the leadership of its new CEO, Lou D’Ambrosio.

Ahead of the meeting, the company reported a same-store sales decline of 3.6% for its fiscal first quarter, which included a 1.6% decrease at its Kmart stores and a 5.2% decrease at its Sears Domestic stores.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. and HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Walmart and Sears Holdings have both announced their commitment to helping military members maintain employment when moving from one community to another.

The commitment is in line with the new Joining Forces initiative, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to raise awareness around the challenges that military personnel and their spouses endure when moving from one community to another.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Mass merchandiser Kmart had sales of $4.99 billion during fourth quarter 2010 and $15.6 billion for the year as a whole, according to an earnings statement released Thursday by parent company Sears Holdings.

The sales for the quarter, which ended Jan. 29, were a slight improvement over fourth quarter 2009 sales of $4.92 billion, while the annual sales represented a decline in dollar terms from 2009’s $15.74 billion. Comparable-store sales for the year increased in percentage terms, by 0.7%, while quarterly sales increased by 2.5%.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Fast on the heels of her departure from Ahold USA’s Giant Foods of Landover supermarket unit, Robin Michel has been tapped for an increasingly critical role at retail giant Sears Holdings. Michel, who left as president of Giant-Landover in December 2010, will serve as SVP and president of food and consumables, health and beauty and pharmacy at Sears and its Kmart subsidiary.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — A 2.3% same-store sales gain at Kmart was not enough to offset a 6% decline at Sears, resulting in an overall 1.7% decline for the combined companies' domestic operations during the five-week December reporting period ended Jan. 1.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Former Kmart CEO Charles Conaway has agreed to drop his appeal of a $10 million fine levied last year by the Securities and Exchange Commission for his role in misleading investors. Conaway, who ran Kmart a decade ago after serving as president of CVS, will pay $5.5 million to settle the charges, according to reports from the Associated Press and other news sources.