Kmart’s Chief Marketing Officer Resigns

Kmart Corp. Chief Marketing Officer Brent Willis resigned from the second-largest U.S. discount chain less than five months after he joined the retailer from Coca-Cola Co. Willis resigned for “personal reasons,” a Kmart spokeswoman said. The resignation is effective May 7, she said. Willis, who helped Kmart revive its famous BlueLight Special store promotion this month after a 10-year hiatus, couldn’t be reached for comment. Chief Executive Chuck Conaway created the marketing post in July to coordinate advertising, store displays and customer research. Willis, who held marketing jobs at Nabisco Holdings Corp. and Kraft General Foods before running Coca-Cola’s Venezuela operations, was hired after a five-month search. President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Schwartz will assume the role in the interim. Shares of Troy, Mich.-based Kmart fell 23 cents to close at $8.98 on the NYSE.