Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

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

Post by Super S »

BillyGr wrote: December 28th, 2018, 9:05 am What was suggested about Walmart/Target might make sense in at least some spots.

For example, the one remaining Kmart that hasn't either closed or on a list of closing/sold to other groups stores in this part of NY state is in a town called Greenwich (not to be confused with the village in NYC).

It's about 15 miles from other shopping areas (around the outskirts of the more well known Saratoga Springs area) and has only Kmart, a CVS and a supermarket. There are also many other even smaller towns to the north/south/east that have less, if anything, in retail options.

So that store might make sense for one of the chains to grab, as that would give them an advantage (both are in the Saratoga area, but now one would be that much closer and more convenient to many people).

No idea how many other similar situations may exist throughout the US, but I'd suspect there are at least some (either smaller areas like this one, or locations in more populous areas where the other chains may have had trouble finding space to build).
The one big strike against Kmart locations that are left is the age of the stores. Some which are 50+ years old. The locations might be good, but the stores will need extensive remodels, and in some cases, might be better to demolish and rebuild.

There are a handful of 1990s and up era stores left which could see remodels. The Kmart in The Dalles, Oregon comes to mind as a location Walmart may be interested in.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Super S »

klkla wrote: December 28th, 2018, 5:48 pm Fast Eddie strikes again:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/20 ... 426912002/
Interesting how another closing list surfaced while this came out pretty much at the last minute. It really shows signs of desperation.

Sadly, I really think it's over for Sears unless somebody else takes over and gives Lampert the boot he deserves. It's obvious he is not that concerned about saving jobs when stores close in large numbers every few months....
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by storewanderer »

Well, I see the Kmart I went to last weekend is on the closing list. I suppose that makes sense...

I also see Corvallis, OR is on the closing list... did not see that one coming.

I wonder if this list has some stores sold to other parties on it. The stores sold to U-Haul are on this list of 80 stores.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: December 29th, 2018, 12:23 am Well, I see the Kmart I went to last weekend is on the closing list. I suppose that makes sense...

I also see Corvallis, OR is on the closing list... did not see that one coming.

I wonder if this list has some stores sold to other parties on it. The stores sold to U-Haul are on this list of 80 stores.
With Corvallis closing, that leaves ONE Kmart left in Oregon, in The Dalles. The Dalles could look attractive to Walmart as they do not have a location there.

I do find it interesting that the Mall of America store is on the latest closing list. It will be hard to make a case for Sears/Kmart as a chain worth saving when they are leaving so many of the malls that are still doing well, not to mention entire metro areas such as Portland. I have no confidence that Lampert is capable of making either store relevant again.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: December 29th, 2018, 7:27 am
storewanderer wrote: December 29th, 2018, 12:23 am Well, I see the Kmart I went to last weekend is on the closing list. I suppose that makes sense...

I also see Corvallis, OR is on the closing list... did not see that one coming.

I wonder if this list has some stores sold to other parties on it. The stores sold to U-Haul are on this list of 80 stores.
With Corvallis closing, that leaves ONE Kmart left in Oregon, in The Dalles. The Dalles could look attractive to Walmart as they do not have a location there.

I do find it interesting that the Mall of America store is on the latest closing list. It will be hard to make a case for Sears/Kmart as a chain worth saving when they are leaving so many of the malls that are still doing well, not to mention entire metro areas such as Portland. I have no confidence that Lampert is capable of making either store relevant again.
It looks like the pharmacy has been closed in The Dalles Store. Also the store closes at 9 PM.

I suspect Fred Meyer is getting all of the business in The Dalles and that Kmart is underperforming. Given Kmart's lousy pricing and spotty selection, I suspect a fully stocked Fred Meyer simply offers a better mix at better prices.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by reymann »

i expect the liquidators to win the auction. i don't see a judge approving lampert's bid to kick the can further down the road. sears looked like a ghost town during the holidays and they can't delay the inevitable anymore.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by cjd »

Super S wrote: December 29th, 2018, 7:27 am
storewanderer wrote: December 29th, 2018, 12:23 am Well, I see the Kmart I went to last weekend is on the closing list. I suppose that makes sense...

I also see Corvallis, OR is on the closing list... did not see that one coming.

I wonder if this list has some stores sold to other parties on it. The stores sold to U-Haul are on this list of 80 stores.
With Corvallis closing, that leaves ONE Kmart left in Oregon, in The Dalles. The Dalles could look attractive to Walmart as they do not have a location there.

I do find it interesting that the Mall of America store is on the latest closing list. It will be hard to make a case for Sears/Kmart as a chain worth saving when they are leaving so many of the malls that are still doing well, not to mention entire metro areas such as Portland. I have no confidence that Lampert is capable of making either store relevant again.
They probably have leases getting ready to expire. Our Kmart here was supposedly the best performing in the region, a 90s built store, and it still closed when the 25 year lease was up this last February. They aren't going to renew any leases it seems even in the "good" stores.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by cjd »

reymann wrote: December 29th, 2018, 11:54 am i expect the liquidators to win the auction. i don't see a judge approving lampert's bid to kick the can further down the road. sears looked like a ghost town during the holidays and they can't delay the inevitable anymore.
Sears doesn't offer much for holiday sales other than their tacky sales that make it look like the store is going out of business. There's no holiday decor or promotions or anything to draw people in. I haven't seen commercials in months. The same clothing and merchandise sits on the racks and shelves all year, which is evidence that it's not moving. There was really nothing special for Christmas other than the Toy department set up in the former TV department which seemed to be a dud, since no one was ever around it that I saw.

The holidays brought a little more business to the Sears here, or at least it didn't look like a complete ghost town. But compared to other anchors in the mall, it looked dead.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by pseudo3d »

This thread will get locked soon, but I can't seem to find the website where they were sub-leasing parts of stores, and had PDF copies of floor plans (like one of a Super Kmart). Does anyone know where the site went, or at least where I can get a good overview of what a detailed floor plan of a full-featured Sears actually looked like?
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by submariner »

pseudo3d wrote: December 31st, 2018, 6:50 am This thread will get locked soon,
ClockWatching.jpg
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