Montgomery Ward

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Super S
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Montgomery Ward

Post by Super S »

Montgomery Ward has come back in the form of an online-only retailer. I took a look at their website www.wards.com and got the impression that there are no plans to go back to operating retail stores again. From what I can tell, they don't have a huge online sales presence, after all, the original Wards went out of business and there are people who remember that and are hesitant. But I have to wonder, with the recent struggles with Sears and JCPenney, if this could open the door to Wards coming back as a traditional retailer at some point. Sears, and to a lesser extent JCPenney, do leave voids as they close in some areas. Wards was a similar store to both in many categories, at least until JCPenney did away with hardlines.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by submariner »

That's actually been up for quite a few years now, since about 2004. It's almost eerie.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by cjd »

I know a few years later, but I had a look. Everything looks expensive. Looks like they offer payment terms with their own card. Maybe it's something like Rent A Center or buy here pay here.

It was interesting how some of the items are branded exclusively Montgomery Ward though.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by Super S »

I don't think their site is very well known, and people are probably a little leery about ordering from a name that closed all of their retail stores. I took another look today and just did not see anything there I would order.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by buckguy »

They tended to be seen as a second string retailer in their segment---they never built the "brand equity" in their house brand merchandise that Sears or JCP had, even though it usually was of good quality. They rarely were recruited to anchor A-list malls. I'm sure there is some "goodwill" from the past, but it's more like "yeah, we went there when Sears was out of....".
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by wnetmacman »

Super S wrote: July 30th, 2015, 9:10 am Montgomery Ward has come back in the form of an online-only retailer. I took a look at their website www.wards.com and got the impression that there are no plans to go back to operating retail stores again. From what I can tell, they don't have a huge online sales presence, after all, the original Wards went out of business and there are people who remember that and are hesitant. But I have to wonder, with the recent struggles with Sears and JCPenney, if this could open the door to Wards coming back as a traditional retailer at some point. Sears, and to a lesser extent JCPenney, do leave voids as they close in some areas. Wards was a similar store to both in many categories, at least until JCPenney did away with hardlines.
Montgomery Ward didn't come back. A holding company that bought the Ward name and likeness started operating. This is not the Wards some of us and our parents shopped at in any way other than name. It was done with Circuit City later, as well as Bon-Ton. These are not the original retailers. Those left in bankruptcy.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by rwsandiego »

wnetmacman wrote: January 25th, 2022, 1:19 pm
Super S wrote: July 30th, 2015, 9:10 am Montgomery Ward has come back in the form of an online-only retailer. I took a look at their website www.wards.com and got the impression that there are no plans to go back to operating retail stores again. From what I can tell, they don't have a huge online sales presence, after all, the original Wards went out of business and there are people who remember that and are hesitant. But I have to wonder, with the recent struggles with Sears and JCPenney, if this could open the door to Wards coming back as a traditional retailer at some point. Sears, and to a lesser extent JCPenney, do leave voids as they close in some areas. Wards was a similar store to both in many categories, at least until JCPenney did away with hardlines.
Montgomery Ward didn't come back. A holding company that bought the Ward name and likeness started operating. This is not the Wards some of us and our parents shopped at in any way other than name. It was done with Circuit City later, as well as Bon-Ton. These are not the original retailers. Those left in bankruptcy.
That's right. The company is Colony Brands, the same company that owns The Swiss Colony. They've been family-owned since 1926. My mother used to buy cheese and sausage gift packs there around the holidays. Although I've not ordered from the reconstituted Wards I have shopped at The Swiss Colony and The Tender Filet. They're legit. IMO, had they bought the intellectual property of the Bon-Ton the website might have been successful.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by Super S »

wnetmacman wrote: January 25th, 2022, 1:19 pm

Montgomery Ward didn't come back. A holding company that bought the Ward name and likeness started operating. This is not the Wards some of us and our parents shopped at in any way other than name. It was done with Circuit City later, as well as Bon-Ton. These are not the original retailers. Those left in bankruptcy.
I know it's not the same company. It's the name that came back.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by wnetmacman »

Super S wrote: January 27th, 2022, 8:22 am
wnetmacman wrote: January 25th, 2022, 1:19 pm

Montgomery Ward didn't come back. A holding company that bought the Ward name and likeness started operating. This is not the Wards some of us and our parents shopped at in any way other than name. It was done with Circuit City later, as well as Bon-Ton. These are not the original retailers. Those left in bankruptcy.
I know it's not the same company. It's the name that came back.
But that's my point. I can buy a name all day, but that's all you get. They bought that name in the hopes of it generating good will. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it hasn't paid for itself yet. MW was a pretty worn and tarnished brand at the end.

We're seeing another case of these type of burned bridges now with Toys R Us. Nobody goes to the 'new' stores because they frankly aren't the same. It's lipstick on a pig.
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Re: Montgomery Ward

Post by Super S »

wnetmacman wrote: January 27th, 2022, 8:38 am
Super S wrote: January 27th, 2022, 8:22 am
wnetmacman wrote: January 25th, 2022, 1:19 pm

Montgomery Ward didn't come back. A holding company that bought the Ward name and likeness started operating. This is not the Wards some of us and our parents shopped at in any way other than name. It was done with Circuit City later, as well as Bon-Ton. These are not the original retailers. Those left in bankruptcy.
I know it's not the same company. It's the name that came back.
But that's my point. I can buy a name all day, but that's all you get. They bought that name in the hopes of it generating good will. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it hasn't paid for itself yet. MW was a pretty worn and tarnished brand at the end.

We're seeing another case of these type of burned bridges now with Toys R Us. Nobody goes to the 'new' stores because they frankly aren't the same. It's lipstick on a pig.

No arguments there. Wards was pretty well-worn, in a last-ditch effort to change their image they even rolled out a couple new logos toward the end (which, interestingly enough, are not used by the online company).
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