Sears Taps a Salesman

Edward Brennan went to work for Sears, Roebuck in 1956 as a salesman in the men's clothing department of the Madison, Wis., store. But he was not the kind of per son who would spend much time amid shirts and socks. Last week Brennan became Sears' president, chief operating officer and heir apparent to Chairman Edward R. Telling, 65, who is due to retire in December 1985. As head of the large merchandising group for the past four years, Brennan, 50, developed the successful strategy for sprucing up Sears' stodgy image by introducing new store designs and more big-name labels. He traveled the country, popping into stores and giving pep talks to local managers. As a result of Brennan's innovative moves, Sears' retail sales have gone from slump to boom.

The son of a Sears buyer, Brennan was the youngest of three contenders for the job of president. That had been expected to be a handicap at sometimes conservative Sears, but two towering figures in Sears' history, Julius Rosenwald and General Robert Wood, were younger than Brennan when they took over. To help celebrate the occasion, Telling ordered out for a no-frills Sears executive lunch. The menu: pepperoni-and-sausage pizza.