Former GameStop CEO Paul Raines Dies at 53

Paul Raines, 53, the longtime chief executive of GameStop who stepped down in November, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. GameStop CEO Mike Mauler said in a statement Monday that the company is "profoundly sad to learn of the passing or our friend and former chief executive officer J. Paul Raines." Raines, who was named CEO at GameStop in 2010, diversified the video game retailer into digital businesses and expanded it into other retail technology stores through acquisitions. Raines came to GameStop in 2008 as chief operating officer from Home Depot, where he spent eight years in various management jobs that included executive vice president and president of the more than 2,000-store Southern division of the Atlanta-based company. Before joining Home Depot, he spent four years in global sourcing for L.L.Bean and 10 years with the Kurt Salmon Associates consumer products group.

Total Retail's Take: Sad news to report this week. Raines was a well-respected, humble leader who was quick to give all the credit for his company's success to others within the organization. I learned this firsthand when I interviewed him for our Retailer of the Year cover story. Raines only accepted the honor if he could share the honor with his team, saying "our global workforce is diverse and the key ingredient to GameStop’s success and growth.”