Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
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Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by Super S »

As 2019 comes to a close, I am surprised that Sears and Kmart are still open. However, all signs seem to be pointing toward the inevitable. Will this company survive another year?
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by cjd »

A lot of people speculated they may indeed pull the plug after this holiday season. But the same has been said for about the last 5 years so who knows. I think few if any retailers had a great season this year with the increasing amount online shopping. But from what I understand Sears and Kmart really scaled back this season with no commercials aired and very little in the way of sales circulars. That to me kind of shows they have little expectations. I expect there will be no more commercials aired this year either, and I'm sure we'll continue to see closures soon after the start of Jan.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by Alpha8472 »

Eddie will do everything to make this a slow death. It will drag on so that he can extract every cent.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by storewanderer »

Kmart at South Lake Tahoe got some BBQs in within the past couple of weeks and set them up in seasonal. BBQ Pro brand (old Kmart brand). I actually studied the shipping label on the boxes from the distribution center and the label showed a December 2019 ship date so it is actually a recent shipment. I was a little shocked to see any additional seasonal product showing up beyond Christmas because I cannot even believe they are going on this long.

They continue to rip up various "basic" aisles taking away the shelf tags/plan o grams and filling them up with whatever, and do not have much product to sell.

Also noticed last week they redesigned their plastic bags. They no longer say "life is awesome" or whatever they said before, now just "more at Kmart.com" or something very basic and plain.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by Knight »

Store locations will continue to close. 2020 should be the end for the most troubled banner: Kmart.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by storewanderer »

Knight wrote: December 31st, 2019, 9:20 am Store locations will continue to close. 2020 should be the end for the most troubled banner: Kmart.
Kmart is definitely a goner. Stores are already running like liquidating stores tearing up planograms due to lack of product and missing basic assortments all over. The bloated pig known as Sears will continue to be on as much life support for as long as possible because it is like a sacred cow for some reason.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: December 31st, 2019, 9:58 am
Knight wrote: December 31st, 2019, 9:20 am Store locations will continue to close. 2020 should be the end for the most troubled banner: Kmart.
Kmart is definitely a goner. Stores are already running like liquidating stores tearing up planograms due to lack of product and missing basic assortments all over. The bloated pig known as Sears will continue to be on as much life support for as long as possible because it is like a sacred cow for some reason.
When you consider that Craftsman and DieHard have been sold, Could the Kmart brand be sold off? Possibly to Kmart Australia? Although I have never been to Australia, the pictures of those stores I have seen seem to show that they are doing a better job running them.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by cjd »

I don't think anyone would want Kmart, or Sears either at this point. The remaining locations are too scattered to allow for any logistical efficiency. Not to mention many of the older locations probably need too much repair and updating due to years (decades?) of deferred maintenance.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by storewanderer »

cjd wrote: December 31st, 2019, 6:44 pm I don't think anyone would want Kmart, or Sears either at this point. The remaining locations are too scattered to allow for any logistical efficiency. Not to mention many of the older locations probably need too much repair and updating due to years (decades?) of deferred maintenance.
Given the last round of Kmart closures, I see no way for it to continue. They let go of good monopoly type stores in places like Bishop, CA or Jackson, WY. Those were historically very profitable stores. Key stores for a chain to hold. It is unclear if there are other retailers already lined up to take the stores over or what exactly is going on. If we hear an announcement that Target or Wal Mart is assuming some of these leases, it will make more sense, and would sure be good for those communities.
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Re: Sears/Kmart: Will 2020 be the end?

Post by storewanderer »

Someone should go take a visit to the Burlington, WA Kmart and see how things are going there.

I read on another forum the store hours are 10 AM to 8 PM and it rarely does more than $8,000 a day in sales. That is pretty pathetic if true. Though I suspect Shopko had many large stores doing that sort of volume.

Tough to believe a 100,000 square foot store is doing so little in sales.
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