All remaining Sears Canada stores closed for good Sunday after filing for protection from creditors in June and launching liquidation sales in October. The first Sears store opened in Canada in 1953.

Barnes & Noble's board of directors has let CEO Ronald Boire go after less than a year in the post, saying the former Sears Canada chief "was not a good fit for the organization." Founder Leonard Riggio, 75, will postpone his retirement plans and take over as interim CEO while the bookstore chain searches for a new chief, the company said.

Former Sears Canada CEO Ron Boire took the helm at Barnes & Noble this week, with a focus on turning the stores into community hubs. Boire, whose resume includes stints at Brookstone, Toys R Us and Best Buy, will continue the retailer's growing focus on toys and games, a category that saw first-quarter sales grow 17.5%. "We're thinking a lot about what the Barnes & Noble of the future might look like," he said.

Barnes & Noble has chosen Sears Canada CEO Ronald Boire to head the bookseller's retail operations after it spins off its college stores into a separate company next month. Boire joined Sears Canada in 2012 and was named acting CEO two years later; his resume also includes stints at Brookstone, Toys R Us and Best Buy.

Sears Holdings hired Brookstone CEO Ron Boire, who previously held top merchandising jobs at Toys R Us and Best Buy. As chief merchandising officer and president of the Sears and Kmart store formats, Boire said he will focus on creating "more and better theater in the stores" and better integrate stores with mobile applications and websites as the company builds its online retail business.