If you head out to your neighborhood Kmart, you may be surprised to
find that it is now a Sears Essentials store or that it is being
heavily renovated to that end! Since Kmart purchased Sears over one
year ago, the wheels have been in motion to create a new retail
destination that would appeal to the former Sears crowd as well as to
the Kmart demo that needs more than what a traditional Kmart store
has to offer. The end result is a hybrid mass retailer with hardlines
such as washing machines and car batteries as well as an assortment
of popular priced apparel and accessories.
Some core brands from Sears have been migrated to the new Essentials venue. Covington, Structure and Canyon River Blues are part of the mix as are national brands such as Levi's and Dickies. The price points are significantly lower than they were at Sears and the selection is simpler and more basic, especially for Structure and CRB denim. The women's and men's departments are looking firmly established while the 7-14 girls and boys areas were still looking undefined. Disney has taken up a strong position in the infant and toddler area adding credibility and desirability to those areas.
Overall the store promises a neat and efficient experience for shoppers. For Kmart shoppers who have outgrown the mass destination and need more hard goods, Essentials is a fine stepping stone. In apparel, Sears Essentials is no where near being able to compete with Target since their trend quotient is still low, but their offering is a nice step up for Kmart shoppers who are looking for something more.
So what about Kmart? For the stores that are still sporting the Kmart name, the selection has been boiled down to a value based proposition. Children's basics are priced below Wal-mart prices and styling is basic at best. In juniors and young men's we are still seeing Joe Boxer, Thalia and Route 66, but again the offering is basic. We will keep an eye out for how the Kmart and Sears Essential relationship develops and to see if the two venues can successfully cater to their home base and to much needed new shoppers.
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