John Goodman

Wet Seal said it will celebrate the opening of 31 Wet Seal Plus stores across the country on Aug. 16. The Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based apparel company discontinued its Arden B brand and converted its 31 Arden B stores into Wet Seal Plus stores. The brand's other 23 locations were transitioned into regular Wet Seals. The change, in the works since April, has helped Wet Seal "expand in the growing junior plus market," said the company's Chief Executive John Goodman in a news release. 

South Florida Business Journal Sunglass Hut will open its largest U.S. store on Wednesday along Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. The location at 845 Lincoln Road is about three times the size of a typical store and will feature over 2,000 different sunglasses, The Miami Herald reported. Dr. Sanford Ziff founded Sunglass Hut, which is now owned by Luxottica Group, in 1971 at Dadeland Mall. See all your followed company news on your personalized dashboard. To access the full benefits of bizWatch and receive a weekly email with aggregated news on all the companies you are following, please provide

John Goodman, the chief of Sears Holdings Corp.'s apparel and home division, left the company, Sears confirmed. The Hoffman Estates-based retailer hired Goodman two years ago as executive vice president of apparel and home, charging him with reviving Sears' troubled clothing business and refocusing its clothing line to attract younger and trendier shoppers. Goodman left last week, according to Sears spokeswoman Amy Dimond. His departure follows the arrival of Ron Boire, the former Brookstone president and CEO, as executive vice president and chief merchandising officer for Sears and Kmart brands. Sears hired Boire on Jan. 3. It is the

Sears Holdings signed a direct-to-retail agreement with Sandra Lee for home products. The exclusive collection, Sandra by Sandra Lee, will be available in Sears and Kmart stores next spring. The initial launch of the collection will include cookware, utensils, gadgets, bakeware, small kitchen appliances and tabletop items. The agreement with Sears Holdings was entered into by Sandra Lee in association with Iconix Brand Group. "The new Sandra by Sandra Lee collection is a welcome and timely addition to the value we offer our customers in the home category and underscores our commitment to making everyday special," says John Goodman,

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) announced today that apparel veteran Lana Cain Krauter will join the company as SVP and president – Sears Apparel. She will be responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth of Sears' apparel business, both in-store and online. "Lana is a great addition to our apparel team," said John Goodman, EVP – Apparel and Home. "She brings to the company an excellent track record with brand, product and customer loyalty program development and a demonstrated success in creating and inspiring high performance teams." � � Krauter is an

Sports and fitness manufacturer Everlast Worldwide has granted Sears Holdings the exclusive U.S. rights to the Everlast brand for distribution in Sears and Kmart stores and online. The long-term deal grants Sears and Kmart the rights to the Everlast brand for apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and kids. The retailers are expected to launch the brand in spring 2011. "We are pleased to be working with a global, iconic fitness brand like Everlast," says John Goodman, executive vice president for apparel and home at Sears Holdings. "With this agreement, we will add an authentic fitness brand to