Joseph E. "Joe" Antonini (born July 13, 1941) is a businessman who is best known for being a former CEO of
Kmart
Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States.
The company was inc ...
.
Early career
Joseph Antonini was a
retail manager at Kresge's on Union Road in
Cheektowaga, New York
Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...
in the late 1960s. Kresge's, a
five and dime operation, eventually became Kmart and Antonini continued working for the organization.
Education
Antonini attended high school at
Morgantown High School
Morgantown High School is a public high school in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. It is one of three secondary schools in the Monongalia County School District. Athletic teams compete as the Morgantown Mohigans in the West Virginia Seco ...
.
Kmart
Antonini became chairman in 1984 and CEO of Kmart in 1987.
In 1990 Kmart began a major
restructuring and remodeling effort while competing against
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, resulting in financial difficulties for Kmart. In February 1990, when Kmart announced its refurbishing program, plans were to close and relocate about 300 Kmart stores, to expand about 620 stores, and to remodel the remaining 1,250 stores. Another 150 stores were to be closed within five years. Antonini resigned from Kmart in 1995.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonini, Joseph E.
American businesspeople in retailing
Sears Holdings people
Kmart
Living people
1941 births