Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
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Brian Lutz
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Brian Lutz »

I saw this post today in one of the local Facebook groups. Apparently the site of the closing Overlake Sears in Redmond will be redeveloped into yet another of the mixed use retail/apartment developments popping up all over the place in Redmond and Bellevue:



I find it interesting that people seem more interested in the fate of the Red Robin in the shopping center than in the Sears store.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Brian Lutz »

Super S wrote: June 29th, 2018, 10:36 am Thought this was worth noting. This Kmart in the Virgin Islands was completely gutted and remodeled following hurricane Irma. Now if they could only try something like this in the rest of the chain there could be a chance of surviving....

https://blog.searsholdings.com/members- ... cane-irma/
I'm curious what would happen to some of these far-flung Kmart locations in a Sears liquidation. I know there's a similar Kmart in Guam that is, for all intents and purposes, the only store of its kind on the island.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by rwsandiego »

Brian Lutz wrote: June 29th, 2018, 11:20 am...I find it interesting that people seem more interested in the fate of the Red Robin in the shopping center than in the Sears store.
Not to mention very telling!
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by BillyGr »

Brian Lutz wrote: June 29th, 2018, 11:22 am
Super S wrote: June 29th, 2018, 10:36 am Thought this was worth noting. This Kmart in the Virgin Islands was completely gutted and remodeled following hurricane Irma. Now if they could only try something like this in the rest of the chain there could be a chance of surviving....

https://blog.searsholdings.com/members- ... cane-irma/
I'm curious what would happen to some of these far-flung Kmart locations in a Sears liquidation. I know there's a similar Kmart in Guam that is, for all intents and purposes, the only store of its kind on the island.
One might expect if it is the only option in an area like that that another chain (be it one that is in the rest of the US, or one from another country in that area) may very well be interested in taking it over for their chain? Particularly with the one being basically a new store with the storm remodel having taken place.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by architect »

Numerous reports over the last few days have noted that at many Sears locations, signage has been transitioning to handwritten. This is particularly bad considering that even small grocery chains are often able to print signage these days.
The end is clearly near.

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-st ... gns-2018-6
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by jamcool »

BillyGr wrote: June 30th, 2018, 9:18 am
Brian Lutz wrote: June 29th, 2018, 11:22 am
Super S wrote: June 29th, 2018, 10:36 am Thought this was worth noting. This Kmart in the Virgin Islands was completely gutted and remodeled following hurricane Irma. Now if they could only try something like this in the rest of the chain there could be a chance of surviving....

https://blog.searsholdings.com/members- ... cane-irma/
I'm curious what would happen to some of these far-flung Kmart locations in a Sears liquidation. I know there's a similar Kmart in Guam that is, for all intents and purposes, the only store of its kind on the island.
One might expect if it is the only option in an area like that that another chain (be it one that is in the rest of the US, or one from another country in that area) may very well be interested in taking it over for their chain? Particularly with the one being basically a new store with the storm remodel having taken place.
I would suspect Wal-Mart would buy up the remains of Kmart
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by storewanderer »

architect wrote: June 30th, 2018, 9:47 am Numerous reports over the last few days have noted that at many Sears locations, signage has been transitioning to handwritten. This is particularly bad considering that even small grocery chains are often able to print signage these days.
The end is clearly near.

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-st ... gns-2018-6
They have been doing handwritten signs for the past couple years. It is part of their "blow out sale" program (the liquidation sale look-a-like thing they do in stores that are not presently in liquidation).
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Mycrossover »

storewanderer wrote:Sears Outlet/Hometown is a completely separate entity from Sears Holdings Corporation (Sears/Kmart retail stores). I think Sears Auto Centers are also a separate entity now.

I think there will be some future for the name "Sears" in some form. Maybe as little store selling appliances. Maybe as a website. Maybe as an appliance repair company. But not as an operator of full line department stores in malls.

"Kmart" - probably no future.
Sears spun off Outlet/Hometown/Hardware and Appliance and one other that escapes me. It is a franchising operation and the stores are individually owned, BUT Sears owns all the merchanise in those stores. When Sears goes under, it is interesting what will become of them. Will the franchising corporation survive? What are the franchisee's options if it does not? The stores already stock a lot of non Sears product but could they sell it at a competitive price if they had to source it on their own. I would think Stanley Black and Decker would gladly supply Craftsman label stuff. We shall see.

I understand Fast Eddie owns the real estate company that owns a lot of Sears locations and is making a killing renting out all or part if failing Sears stores to higher paying tenants. He is in no rush to see it end. His talk about return to profitability (of Sears) is pure BS. He is doing fine.

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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by jamcool »

Craftsman tools are now showing up in Lowe’s along with Ace Hardware...Stanley apparently has plans for the brand, whatever happens to Sears.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by submariner »

jamcool wrote: July 14th, 2018, 5:29 pm Craftsman tools are now showing up in Lowe’s along with Ace Hardware...Stanley apparently has plans for the brand, whatever happens to Sears.
Craftsman has been in Ace stores for a while, long before the selloff. The Lowe's connection is interesting, but not completely unexpected as Orchard Supply Hardware (now owned by Lowe's) has also sold Craftsman since before Lowe's bought them in 2013 from Sears Holdings, who had been the owners of OSH since 1996.
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