Samper Exits Sears for Apparel Firm

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/16/2006 12:00:00 AM

Hoffman Estates, Ill. — —

Hoffman Estates, Ill. — Industry vet Carlos Samper has resigned his position as director of global sourcing at Sears Holdings to accept the position of vp of supply chain for European branded apparel manufacturer Gloria Jeans Corp.

Samper, who assumed the new position Oct. 15, will be based in Shanghai, overseeing manufacturing, quality assurance, product development and procurement. Gloria Jeans also has manufacturing operations in Russia and Ukraine, and design offices in Brazil and the United States.

Prior to the Sears/Kmart merger, Samper was director of the home textiles sourcing group at Kmart. Before that, he was with Li & Fung as divisional manager, textiles, southern hemisphere in the Hong Kong office.

He also worked as regional vp of international at Springs Industries, where he operated out of the U.S. headquarters and Santiago, Chile.

Samper began his career in 1979 at Cannon Mills as regional manager of international sales and marketing. After the company's merger with Fieldcrest, he became divisional vp of international for Fieldcrest Cannon, working out of the United States, Mexico City and Buenos Aires.