MANAGEMENT CHANGES
Lombard, Ill.-based The Carlson Group, a retail marketing services firm, appointed five new people to its team: Brad Kurz as creative director; Blake Nielsen and Stephen Vitello as account directors of strategic partnerships; and John Frohne and Justin Myers as engineers.
Retail environments manufacturer F.C. Dadson (Greenville, Wis.) hired Joei Vander Kooy as account executive of its sales team. Kooy will be responsible for identifying prospects, developing targeted sales strategies and establishing and growing new accounts.
STORE OPENING
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (Winston-Salem, N.C.) plans to open a 2000-square-foot store in Portsmouth, Va. The chain operates about 660 locations worldwide.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close up to 120 of its Kmart and Sears discount and department stores, representing about 3 percent of its entire fleet. The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based retailer has experienced declining sales since 2005 and, most recently, low holiday season sales. The company operates about 3560 stores in the U.S.