mixing it up with Sears/K-Mart (article)

Just thinking about different user experiences in retail spaces for a moment after
seeing an article in Home Furnishings News (HFN) --see below for article--

Any thoughts on the activities going on with Sears/K-Mart cross-brand experimenting?


Implications for XD...
-does this change the brand's target audience...or just the way Sears-Mart
communicates with them?
-do expectations change from the standpoint of the end-user? 

This certainly made me go 'hmmm' this morning. 

Share your thoughts?
-Pete Wendel

=====================================================================================

THE FUTURE STARTS NOW: KMART TESTS SEARS BRANDS 
Barbara Thau 
2 May 2005
HFN
Copyright 2005 Fairchild Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved 

TROY, Mich.-The cross-pollination of Sears and Kmart brands has begun. 
Kmart, now part of the new Sears Holdings Corp., is testing Sears' proprietary
Kenmore appliances, Craftsman tools, and lawn and garden equipment -- as well as
Sears service kiosks -- in nine renovated Kmart stores. This is the first time Sears
brands have shown up in Kmart stores amid speculation there will be much more of
this down the road. 
A Kmart unit in Norridge, Ill., carries the largest mix of Sears goods, including
Kenmore products and "a full assortment of major appliances," such as refrigerators,
dishwashers, and washers and dryers from vendors that include Maytag, General
Electric and Whirlpool, Lisa Gibbons, a Sears spokeswoman, told HFN. 
"It was a big draw of the merger to be able to cross-merchandise [Sears and Kmart
brands]," Kmart spokeswoman Caryn Klebba told HFN. 
Sears merchandise was rolled out to the nine Kmart stores this month. Kmart and
Sears officially merged on March 24. 
The Kmart stores are also testing Sears home improvement kiosks. The kiosks offer
shoppers information on Sears services -- from home siding to cabinetry installation
-- and a phone number that connects them with a Sears' service representative. 
While the Norridge store carries a full mix of appliances, tools, home and garden
equipment, and a Sears service kiosk, a unit in Doylestown, Pa., only features the
kiosk. 
"Customer reaction has been great," Gibbons said. "I was in one of the stores and
overheard a customer ask, `Did Sears and Kmart merge?' " The retailers have yet to
determine if and when the lines will be rolled out to other Kmart stores. 
There are a total of 11 remodeled Kmart stores. They reflect Kmart's new prototype,
the first of which launched last December in White Plains, N.Y. That store features
an orange, green and yellow color scheme; wider aisles; and lower, upscale fixtures
in a bid to create a distinct, stylish store ambience that's not a rehash of other
chains, Lisa Schultz, senior vice president and chief creative officer of Kmart,
told HFN at the time. 

Is Kmart's Martha Stewart Everyday home line heading for Sears' shelves? Stay tuned.

KMART'S SEARS TEST, STORE BY STORE 
The assortment of Sears brands and services being tested in nine Kmart units varies
by store. Here's the breakdown: 
Store: Product Categories 
Doylestown, Pa.: Service kiosk only 
Burbank, Calif.: Tools/service kiosk 
Bohemia, N.Y.: Appliances/tools/lawn and garden 
Troy, Mich.: Tools/lawn and garden 
Silver Spring, Md.: Appliances/service kiosk 
Goleta, Calif.: Tools 
Stevensville, Md.: Tools/lawn and garden 
Rio Grande, N.J.: Appliances/service kiosk 
Norridge, Ill.: Appliances/tools/lawn and garden/service kiosk 




		
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