K-Mart

[d_fife]

Noooooooooo my sears/kmart will be gone

one of my friends from college used to work there

[jmcnamara96]

I went there since i was little now the plaza is in trouble now Kmart/Sears is gone marshallls is closed some small stores in the Market Basket part Closed weird what will happen also Demoulas Family Realtor bought the Apple Field behind the Plaza they said nothing will be built on it tho Kmart/Sears Marshalls was built in 1991

[AmesNewington]

I love the Cromwell CT store. Would hate to see it go. It doesn't look like it will any time soon, but you never know.

[Marc82]

I love the Cromwell CT store. Would hate to see it go. It doesn't look like it will any time soon, but you never know.

That would be bad. Although I haven't been there in years I imagine it's a lot nicer than their Ghetto-Mart location on Route 69 (Wolcott Street) in Waterbury. If the Cromwell store did close, do you think that junk store - Xpect Discounts in the old KMART Foods would expand?

[jmcnamara96]

Went to Lounderyy NH was mobbed there were officers at the doors ui bought some stuff it was no biggy 20% of so but what was nasty was acoiates in lawn and garden were smoking cigs at the door and all the smoke was coming smelt nasty

[XDeSuEhTX]

Anyone else hear about the coupon fiasco with Kmart recently?  They posted a coupon online, $10 off any $20 purchase, and specifically noted that it was "valid at all locations", even though it was only intended for a few select locations... and well, you can imagine what happened. People will berserk with them, and eventually most stores nationwide stopped accepted them and started accusing customers of fraud, threatening to arrest them, throwing them out of the store, etc...

Yeah, you can probably go ahead and count this as another chip against Kmart's crumbling foundation.

[Marc82]

Just like Denny's and their unlimited french fries and pancake thing. People on their Facebook Group are complaining not all locations are honoring it saying the commercials are fake and there's no way to prove that the Facebook Group is really from Dennys.

[d_fife]

willy Kmart ever open new Stores? and why do they have fewer and fewer Supercenters? whats wrong with the supercenters?

[amesman]

They're losing too much money to open new stores. They can barely stay afloat with what they have, hence why they have been closing underperforming stores.

And competition from Wal-Mart is most likely what is causing their supercenter concept to fail. Keep in mind, and their are exceptions, that the majority of places that have a Super Kmart are areas with low Wal-Mart presence. Ohio, Indiana and Michigan have the highest concentration of Super Kmarts that I have personally seen.

[d_fife]

They're losing too much money to open new stores. They can barely stay afloat with what they have, hence why they have been closing underperforming stores.

And competition from Wal-Mart is most likely what is causing their supercenter concept to fail. Keep in mind, and their are exceptions, that the majority of places that have a Super Kmart are areas with low Wal-Mart presence. Ohio, Indiana and Michigan have the highest concentration of Super Kmarts that I have personally seen.

I have noticed that too with that being the majority of their superstores left. They always said they would expand the supercenter format and then soemthing stopped that always

[d_fife]

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WOouAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pzUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6972,1414358&dq=kmart+fitchburg&hl=en

[d_fife]

Kmart needs to open stores rather than have the number of stores shrink, its down to 1,300 stores. and I know they will never get back to 2000 (They had that many until EIGHT Years ago). and why was the 2nd round of bankruptcy closings bigger than the first wave, I thought they promised the 2nd wave would be smaller and why did a lot of new stores close and why did half the SupeRcenters close?

I knew Kmart would get out of bankruptcy, as most of the chains taht go out are the regional chains, those are near gone

and how come Kmart never had many stores in Mass or CT to begin with, was it cause of the Regionals had a foothold in the area before Kmart came and then after those chains went, Kmart had its own problems. They once proposed putting one in Littleton NH, but it fell through 15 years ago and why as it opened other stores then. and people wanted it. and 20 yrs ago they were going to put one in Leicster MAss, why didnt they have one close to Worcester (well Webster is like 15 min away)

[AmesNewington]

Kmart needs to open stores rather than have the number of stores shrink, its down to 1,300 stores. and I know they will never get back to 2000 (They had that many until EIGHT Years ago). and why was the 2nd round of bankruptcy closings bigger than the first wave, I thought they promised the 2nd wave would be smaller and why did a lot of new stores close and why did half the SupeRcenters close?

I knew Kmart would get out of bankruptcy, as most of the chains taht go out are the regional chains, those are near gone

and how come Kmart never had many stores in Mass or CT to begin with, was it cause of the Regionals had a foothold in the area before Kmart came and then after those chains went, Kmart had its own problems. They once proposed putting one in Littleton NH, but it fell through 15 years ago and why as it opened other stores then. and people wanted it. and 20 yrs ago they were going to put one in Leicster MAss, why didnt they have one close to Worcester (well Webster is like 15 min away)

K-Mart needs to forget about those concept stores (Grand, Essentials) and focus on their regular stores. Before opening any new stores, I would replace all Big K-Mart/old K-Mart signage on all stores to comply with their new logo. Then fix up stores that need fixing up and then open new simple K-Mart stores that fit the simple department store motif and see where that takes them. They could use new stores in CT. K-Mart has an advantage because now that Ames, Bradlees and Caldor are gone, people miss the old-fashioned dept. stores and K-Mart still fits the bill. I'd much rather go to K-Mart than Wal-Mart.

[XDeSuEhTX]

To be honest, I don't think the masses truly miss the classic department store concept. In my opinion, they don't want anything that can't compare with the convenience and reliability of Walmart, or a least provide a nice alternative of the same or higher quality. I think there's no denying that Walmart has set a standard in retail. To succeed, any store must at least match, or improve upon that model.

I don't exactly get where Kmart went wrong with their supercenter concept, but somewhere along the line they dropped the ball. Especially considering the markets in which they had established a heavy presence, with little to no competition from Walmart, all of which were eventually overtaken once Walmart moved their supercenters in. Obviously they can't afford to go that route anymore, hence their slow withdraw from the concept. As far as I know, they're loosing money across the board, and I'd image these stores are their biggest losses.

At this point I really don't foresee any turnaround for Kmart, at least at the rate they're going now. Changing a logo on the front of the store won't fix anything. They would have to do something drastic to turn things around, they'd have to take some serious risks. I believe the concepts they offered (Essentials and Grand) were sign that they're well aware of this. Anything short of a complete inside and out revamp as well as renaming of the entire chain, will not save them. Of course, that costs a lot money that they don't have.

[TRJ22487]

Kmart/Sears taken today in Claremont, NH.
It was never a Big-K, always had the 90's logo until at least 2006
The Sears section was added in the last few years. It has its own entrance but can be reached through the Kmart.
I believe this Kmart was built sometime in the 80's but I can never remember it with the 80's logo

[d_fife]

Kmart/Sears taken today in Claremont, NH.
It was never a Big-K, always had the 90's logo until at least 2006
The Sears section was added in the last few years. It has its own entrance but can be reached through the Kmart.
I believe this Kmart was built sometime in the 80's but I can never remember it with the 80's logo

I have pics of it and the outside had the Big K logo and I think the store opened in 1990.

[TRJ22487]

Oh really? Hmm I moved in the mid 90's but remember checking back and thought it hadn't been a Big K.

[dmx10101]

awesome pics! Do you happen to have any of the inside?

[TRJ22487]

I didn't actually go inside of the Claremont store this time...

Here is the Orange, CT location back in 2001 with working auto center. Some changes have gone down since this

[TRJ22487]

These came from several users on Flickr

Monroeville, PA. Date unknown.


Erie, PA Construction in 1969


Newark, CA during 1972 Breaking Ground


1970's Unknown Location


Lima, Ohio 1973 & 2009. This location closed January 2010



Dyserburg, TN during 1976 Grand Opening


San Pablo, CA. Closed in Late 1980's


Tucumcari, NM Date Unknown


Placerville, CA Date Unknown


North Plainfield, PA Hand Painted Road Sign


Annadale, VA here is a closed Kmart where the sign was not removed!


Miles City, Montana (Date Unknown)


Avenel, NJ location taken in 1987.


Hampton, VA in 1988


Addison, IL in 1979 (first picture) & 1989 (2nd and 3rd picture)




Villa Park, IL in 1989


Reading, PA in 1990. Closed in 1990 and relocated in 1992. This location became a Hills and Ames


Monticello, IN before 1991 remodel (windows were bricked in, this was done to many old style Kmarts with big windows). Closed for good in 2003


Monticello, IN during 1991 remodel.


Monticello, IN during 2003 final day of business. Yep same store as above two pics


Las Vegas, Nevada taken in 1991


Atlanta, GA location taken in 1993. Built in 1967. Became Sam's Club in 1998 or 1999


Coming soon Sign in Jenison, MI. Store would actually open in 1980 due to delays


Month before 1980 Grand Opening in Jenison


Jenison, MI on 11/20/1980 (Grand Opening - Cafeteria!) and in 1995 (Store Closing)



Burke, VA taken in 1996. This is now a Wal-Mart


Fresno, CA. Was demolished for a Circuit City


Johnson City, TN Abandoned


Vallejo, CA taken in 2004


Tampa, FL in 2005. Built in 1980, demolished for Lowes


Mesa, AZ still has a Little Caesar


Carroll, Iowa still with Little Caesar since 1992


Warren, PA still has a Little Caesar and never became Big K


Orlando, Florida Kmart still has a Little Caesars



They still use this in Williamsburg, VA


West Des Moines, IA (never became BIG-K)



Auburn, CA


Santa Rosa, CA. Opened in 1990 never became BIG-K



Chantilly, VA normal 1990's Kmart


Leavenworth, Kansas. Built in 1987 and never Big K


Williamsburg, VA. It was a BIG-K and the Big part was removed


Great Barrington, Massachusetts shingled 1990's Kmart


New York City 1990's style Kmart



Normal looking Kmart in Guam


The Guam location is the biggest in the world

[d_fife]

Kmart in Pompano Beach, FL..I wonder what this Kmart used to be? lol


Kmart in Royal Palm Beach, FL..The Miami area has some of the nicest, newest and most remodeled Kmarts


Kmart in Lake Park, FL..Another nice Miami area store


No I did not take these pics, I got them off of one of Sears Holdings websites.

the pompano Beach Kmart must have been a JM Fields at one point

[dmx10101]

Sears Holdings earnings down in Q1

HOFFMAN ESTATES , Ill. (May20) Sears Holdings reported that net income for the first quarter was $16 million, or 14 cents per diluted share, in 2010 and $26 million, or 21 cents per diluted share, in 2009.

According to the company, the domestic comparable-store sales results included an increase at Kmart of 1.7% and an increase at Sears Domestic of 1.2%. The Kmart quarterly increase in comparable-store sales was primarily driven by increases in apparel, home and toys categories, partially offset by a decline in the food and consumables category. Increases in sales for the quarter at Sears Domestic were primarily driven by the home appliance category, partially offset by declines in the tools and home electronics categories.   

"Kmart registered a comparable-store sales increase for the third consecutive quarter and Sears posted its first quarterly increase in several years as we effectively partnered with state agencies to sell energy-efficient appliances. Sears, however, also experienced lower margin rates during the quarter," said W. Bruce Johnson, Sears Holdings' interim chief executive officer and president. "On the other hand, our Kmart format performed very well during the quarter, achieving margin rate improvement on top of its increase in sales and nearly doubling its adjusted EBITDA. Furthermore, we continued to increase our investment in our multi-channel capabilities and ShopYourWay rewards program, while at the same time reducing our expenses."


It sounds like kmart is doing pretty good at the moment.

[AmesNewington]

I was shocked and pleased to discover that the Kmart in Cromwell, CT has just recieved new carriages. They even have those tiny carts for those who don't need a big carriage (Stop and Shop and Price Chopper have them). These new Kmart carts are gray metal with red handles that have the new logo in white. The big ones have KMART engraved on the lower corners of the cart. They are pretty nice carriages. Sure beats the old beat up ones that wouldn't move.

While there, I noticed new displays in the clothing depts. Very nice I might add. It looks like this location is here to stay for a while. I wonder if they will ever change their outside logos. They are the 1997 Big K Mart signs. This is by far one of the best K Mart stores in the area.

[CTAmeshopper]

So far so good.

I'm afraid K-Mart would be the next store to go. It's on a shaky foundation, and if they go Sears goes down with it. I give the K-Mart brand til 2013 that they are going to exist. I think if they're forced to do it Sears will end the K-Mart brand, in order to save the company. I picture Sears replacing K Marts in the near future.

I hope I'm wrong about this.  :(

[dmx10101]

So far so good.

I'm afraid K-Mart would be the next store to go. It's on a shaky foundation, and if they go Sears goes down with it. I give the K-Mart brand til 2013 that they are going to exist. I think if they're forced to do it Sears will end the K-Mart brand, in order to save the company. I picture Sears replacing K Marts in the near future.

I hope I'm wrong about this.  :(

I don't know about them ending Kmart so soon. If you saw my post in May (I quoted it below), you'll see that Kmart is actually doing better than Sears stores are. I think if anything, we'll see more co-branding of Sears and Kmart merchandise and stores.

Sears Holdings earnings down in Q1

HOFFMAN ESTATES , Ill. (May20) Sears Holdings reported that net income for the first quarter was $16 million, or 14 cents per diluted share, in 2010 and $26 million, or 21 cents per diluted share, in 2009.

According to the company, the domestic comparable-store sales results included an increase at Kmart of 1.7% and an increase at Sears Domestic of 1.2%. The Kmart quarterly increase in comparable-store sales was primarily driven by increases in apparel, home and toys categories, partially offset by a decline in the food and consumables category. Increases in sales for the quarter at Sears Domestic were primarily driven by the home appliance category, partially offset by declines in the tools and home electronics categories.   

"Kmart registered a comparable-store sales increase for the third consecutive quarter and Sears posted its first quarterly increase in several years as we effectively partnered with state agencies to sell energy-efficient appliances. Sears, however, also experienced lower margin rates during the quarter," said W. Bruce Johnson, Sears Holdings' interim chief executive officer and president. "On the other hand, our Kmart format performed very well during the quarter, achieving margin rate improvement on top of its increase in sales and nearly doubling its adjusted EBITDA. Furthermore, we continued to increase our investment in our multi-channel capabilities and ShopYourWay rewards program, while at the same time reducing our expenses."

[CTAmeshopper]

So far, no news if my location is getting any new signage, they have new electric doors with red Kmart stickers with the logo in white on a red stripe. No new carts though. They semi recently updated the overhang with orange paint but that's how far the renovations went. Inside the store it doesn't look updated YET!

Not much progress I'm disappointed.

[Zayre88]

So far, no news if my location is getting any new signage, they have new electric doors with red Kmart stickers with the logo in white on a red stripe. No new carts though. They semi recently updated the overhang with orange paint but that's how far the renovations went. Inside the store it doesn't look updated YET!

Not much progress I'm disappointed.

I'm disappointed for northern New England stores.  They are all at different stage of renovations.  Some have new signage, most have new automatic doors, none has new carts, some store had their exterior painted.  And most still have the Big Kmart logo.

[CTAmeshopper]

Yeah I really wish they'd dump the 1997 Big Kmart logo and go straight for a wordmark of the new logo. The 1997 Big Kmart logo looks really cheap and I hate it, it wasn't one of my favorite logos.

My favorite Kmart logos is 1962-1990 logo and the 1990-1997 logo (NON Big Kmart)

[Zayre88]

So here they are, all different buildings, colors and inside it's the same, uneven updates a mix of old and new:

[AmesNewington]

How hard is it to change the logo to the new ones. They don't have to even change the look of the building, just replace the sign. Big Kmart is a thing of the past.