We know that Eddie and the gang are bragging about the smaller Sears format stores. Does anyone think they could try a smaller format Kmart prototype?
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In reference to the Kresge/Family Dollar comment, funny thing, in my city there are a few former Kresge stores that are now, in fact, Family Dollar. And they still have the Kresge vibe inside all of these years later.
Back to the future...before Kmart there was Kresge. The "dime store", for you folks of a certain age (like me). Basically a Family Dollar with a lunch counter and a soda fountain. They all smelled a bit like mothballs :)
They were in cities and suburbs alike. I could walk to one when I was in college and being a poor carless student it was a godsend. Seems like a format whose time has come again.
Five small Kmarts are not going to save the entirety of the company.
Kmart dollar would have worked before dollar general invaded the us market. They have many more stores planned in towns too little to support a rural kmart or walmart store but it works for them. No need to drive a 100 miles anymore for the really needed items. Low overhead and pay. It works and it is profitable. Shld doesn't? Really?
Rose's Discount Store would have ideally been the model for Kmart. They were once sort of a big deal in parts of the south and probably Kmart's biggest competitor in some areas before Walmart and Target were the competitors in the 90s (not sure who Kmart is competing against now but it sure isn't on par with Walmart or Target). Rose's filed for bankruptcy in the 90s and nearly collapsed, and their location count shrunk significantly, except they eventually began to grow again and are making a comeback with smaller stores targeted to a lower income demographic. Like a slightly bigger Family Dollar or Dollar General. They're under 400 locations, but unlike Kmart, that is a number that is actually growing and they're also very regional and only operate in the southeast. They just opened 15 new stores in the past month or two, and that pace seems to be sort of steady. They've even taken over some old Kmarts, but only part of the store.
Something like that could've been the answer for Kmart, I think, and they could've seriously outdone Rose's by trying that model. But it's probably too late for that now.
The small format stores ARE the future, they kicka@@. The PR store is still there, it rocks, makes more sales in a day than 10 stores here do.
Bigger than a cvs, smaller than a kmart.
They tried this in Puerto Rico maybe 5 years ago. Called it Kmart express (not to be confused with the Kmart express brand gas station). I'm not sure what ever became of the store.
@1cjd I wouldn't hold your breath on that.
Thank you! So maybe the company (Sears and Kmart) can survive with these smaller formats and a smaller footprint (i.e. less stores).
As someone said, they have successfully done that at several locations.
You must be in the dc market, if your talking about g-- beach store. I’ll ensure J O S E knows your on here
Just look up Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Two small format kmarts are operating. Apparently they are able to pay the rent.