Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

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

Post by reymann »

i think the hometown stores need to be rebranded next year. it would be best to steer clear from the sears name after it liquidates.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by submariner »

reymann wrote: December 27th, 2018, 7:31 pm i think the hometown stores need to be rebranded next year. it would be best to steer clear from the sears name after it liquidates.
Depending on who ends up with the Sears brand, they may not have a choice either way, While they're independently owned, they do still have to license the name from SHC.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by mbz321 »

pseudo3d wrote: December 27th, 2018, 7:25 pm Rough stuff. I guess the silver lining is that Sears Hometown will live on (for now), which includes the smaller Hardware and Appliance stores.
How will they go on when they can't get any merchandise, or at least any 'Sears' brands (Kenmore mainly) that at least drew some people in? Maybe some will switch to ACE Hardware or things like that, but once Sears goes, these stores will go out quick.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by Super S »

reymann wrote: December 27th, 2018, 7:31 pm i think the hometown stores need to be rebranded next year. it would be best to steer clear from the sears name after it liquidates.
Some of the Hometown stores (even though they are independently owned) have seen sales drop since Sears filed for bankruptcy. I think it would make sense to rebrand them.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by storewanderer »

It may also be difficult to run Kmart as a stand alone operation since it got so tangled up in the Sears mess. And even running Kmart as a stand alone operation for now, would face many risks and likely not make it long term. Running a 400 store general merchandise chain with stores scattered all over the US and little market penetration anywhere is a challenge from a logistics perspective, buying perspective, etc.

It would really be best for all involved (communities, employees, customers, etc.) if Target and Wal Mart would step up and take over the remaining Kmart locations that make sense to continue operating as a general merchandise format and those that would have a higher and best use as something else just go that route. I am not sure how many stores that would be.

But I am quite confident that the Sears Store format is dead in the water. And good riddance to it. This is what you get when you treat customers like garbage but continue your arrogant ways. This reckoning has been a couple decades in the making for Sears Stores.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by cjd »

I didn't realized this would happen so soon, as I thought we would probably hear more early next year.

It is sad for the employees but I agree I see no reason for Sears to drag out their end. It's gone on long enough. And this is coming from someone that really likes Sears, not someone with no connection or care for it.

It sounds like most of the Kmart stores that were still open as said are older 70s/80s locations that are probably outdated and in poor condition. It would take a lot of money to get them up to Target and Walmart standards I would think, considering even WM/Target's older stores are kept up well. And Walmart changes decor at least every so many years, unlike Kmart.

One odd thing I noticed this month, and I don't know if there's any bigger meaning. But I did notice Kenmore products being sold on QVC and Walmart.com. But the only ones being sold were the vacuum cleaners. They seemed similar to the ones at Sears, but in special colors.

Does anyone know why they did that? I know Walmart.com pretty much sells anything, but there was a special Kenmore page just for the vacuums. There were no other appliances being sold on either from them.

It almost seemed as if they were trying to spin off Kenmore floor care like they did Craftsman.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by BillyGr »

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).
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by reymann »

i think big lots could be interested in a lot of these former kmart spaces for their stores of the future. i've been seeing big lots relocating a lot of their stores lately into bigger spaces and i see big lots gobbling up some of kmart spaces.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

BillyGr wrote: December 28th, 2018, 9:05 am 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).
Not anymore unfortunately-it's on the latest closing list along with the one in Queensbury which I believe they were going to sell to U-Haul anyways.
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Re: Sears/Kmart Death Watch 2018

Post by klkla »

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