K-Mart

[d_fife]

With the Portsmouth store being 35 years old (and look at how many 35-year-old Kmarts have closed recently) this has a feeling of inevitability to it.

I know it was opened in 1978. did you go to that store. is it confirmed its going?

[retailisking]

I called the store just now and the girl who answered confirmed that the store was open regular hours and said it was staying open when I asked her if it was closing. Not that she'd be in the know about such things (store-level employees are often the last to find out) so take my "investigation" with the usual caveats.

[Zayre88]

I called the store just now and the girl who answered confirmed that the store was open regular hours and said it was staying open when I asked her if it was closing. Not that she'd be in the know about such things (store-level employees are often the last to find out) so take my "investigation" with the usual caveats.

The store managed to stay open all these years despite the increasing competition in that city.  Somehow, with a parking lot always nearly empty, this Kmart remains open.  It is located in a prime location on Woodbury avenue with nice visibility. If Kmart gets a good offer for the lease, they'll sell and close the store.

Market Basket is certainly interested...so maybe a good offer was recently submitted to Kmart.

[d_fife]

whats going on???? when I last went there it wasnt very busy. I last went there 2 yrs ago. the nearest other ones are in Rocehster and newburyport.

[BillyGr]

With the Portsmouth store being 35 years old (and look at how many 35-year-old Kmarts have closed recently) this has a feeling of inevitability to it.

Maybe 35 was a standard lease term they used at some point?

[retailisking]

It's either a standard lease term or an extension is about to end.

[Zayre88]

It's either a standard lease term or an extension is about to end.

Usually 5 to 10 year increments I think.  Either way, it would make sense that the lease is ending.

[d_fife]

It's either a standard lease term or an extension is about to end.

Usually 5 to 10 year increments I think.  Either way, it would make sense that the lease is ending.

usually 5

[d_fife]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130509-BIZ-305090391 of Kmart in Portsmouth

[JimSawhill]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130509-BIZ-305090391 of Kmart in Portsmouth

I guess KMart is done... :(

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I guess KMart is done... :(

I guess it'll take a miracle for Kmart to bounce back from that "poor man's Walmart" image to something even better.

[d_fife]

which Kmart.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

which Kmart.

You meant to say "Which Kmart?" Questions end in question marks, statements end in a period.

I meant Kmart in general when I said that thing about Kmart's image.

[d_fife]

which Kmart.

You meant to say "Which Kmart?" Questions end in question marks, statements end in a period.

I meant Kmart in general when I said that thing about Kmart's image.
[/quote

How will KMART get out of this and revive?

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

which Kmart.

You meant to say "Which Kmart?" Questions end in question marks, statements end in a period.

I meant Kmart in general when I said that thing about Kmart's image.

How will KMART get out of this and revive?

It is not known how Kmart will get out of this, but I do know that Kmart will change sometime in the future. I hope it's not for the worse.

I'm pretty sure if people have been keeping track of stores outside the States, Kmart has been successful in two countries, and a failure in four countries:
Australia & New Zealand: Success, formerly 51% owned by S.S. Kresge Co. and 49% owned Coles Myer, stores now owned Wesfarmers Ltd.
Canada: Failure, Kmart Canada filed for bankruptcy in 1997, most Kmart Canada stores were sold to Zellers (whose area was later taken over by none other than Kmart's US rival, Target).
Mexico: Failure, In 1994, Super Kmart launched in suburban Mexico City as a joint venture between the US Kmart Corporation, and El Puerto de Liverpool. Kmart sold their Mexican Super Kmart stores off in 1997 to Controladora Comercial Mexicana, owner of the MEGA hypermarket chain.
Czech Republic & Slovakia: Failure, In 1992, Kmart entered the European market by buying the Maj Department Store chain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By 1996, the troubles surrounding Kmart's US stores caught up with their European stores, Kmart sold their Czech Republic and Slovakia stores to Tesco.

[retailisking]

Good detective work, guys! Now, let's keep our eyes peeled for the inevitable announcement about the Market Basket...

[d_fife]

Good detective work, guys! Now, let's keep our eyes peeled for the inevitable announcement about the Market Basket...

http://portsmouth-nh.patch.com/articles/major-retailer-to-close-this-summer

[IGA/Kmart Is Forever!]

which Kmart.

You meant to say "Which Kmart?" Questions end in question marks, statements end in a period.

I meant Kmart in general when I said that thing about Kmart's image.

How will KMART get out of this and revive?

It is not known how Kmart will get out of this, but I do know that Kmart will change sometime in the future. I hope it's not for the worse.

I'm pretty sure if people have been keeping track of stores outside the States, Kmart has been successful in two countries, and a failure in four countries:
Australia & New Zealand: Success, formerly 51% owned by S.S. Kresge Co. and 49% owned Coles Myer, stores now owned Wesfarmers Ltd.
Canada: Failure, Kmart Canada filed for bankruptcy in 1997, most Kmart Canada stores were sold to Zellers (whose area was later taken over by none other than Kmart's US rival, Target).
Mexico: Failure, In 1994, Super Kmart launched in suburban Mexico City as a joint venture between the US Kmart Corporation, and El Puerto de Liverpool. Kmart sold their Mexican Super Kmart stores off in 1997 to Controladora Comercial Mexicana, owner of the MEGA hypermarket chain.
Czech Republic & Slovakia: Failure, In 1992, Kmart entered the European market by buying the Maj Department Store chain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By 1996, the troubles surrounding Kmart's US stores caught up with their European stores, Kmart sold their Czech Republic and Slovakia stores to Tesco.

One thing that I don't get is why in the world would they focus on all of these other businesses and expanding themselves outside the U.S.A. from the 1990's to the present when the #1 thing that they should have been focusing on is their U.S. stores and trying to make them better? Here is a link on how much they have not focused on their U.S. Stores combined with ShopKoFan's last comments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart

Also, why did The Kmart Corporation ever purchase The Sears Holdings Chain after escaping bankruptcy? With the mistakes that Kmart had already made in the 1990's up to their bankruptcy in 2002, Sears has made Kmart's image even worse since The Kmart Corporation purchased The Sears Holdings Chain. Not only that, but when they stated that they were going to close stores after the 2011 Holiday Shopping Season, I noticed online that the number of people upset with Sears greatly outnumbered the number of people that were upset with Kmart. Why would Kmart purchase a business chain like Sears when you have more people upset with Sears than you do Kmart. If you were Kmart, would you purchase a chain that the consumer dislikes more than your own Kmart Chain?

I just hope and pray that Kmart can get themselves out of this situation. I love my Kmart Stores. They are all that I have left under the Discount Department Store Category that I like since the closure of both Hills and Ames Department Stores.

[Zayre88]

Good detective work, guys! Now, let's keep our eyes peeled for the inevitable announcement about the Market Basket...

It's coming for sure!

And NH loses another Kmart..  Only 5 left out of 12.  Maine will soon have more stores than NH!

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

which Kmart.

You meant to say "Which Kmart?" Questions end in question marks, statements end in a period.

I meant Kmart in general when I said that thing about Kmart's image.

How will KMART get out of this and revive?

It is not known how Kmart will get out of this, but I do know that Kmart will change sometime in the future. I hope it's not for the worse.

I'm pretty sure if people have been keeping track of stores outside the States, Kmart has been successful in two countries, and a failure in four countries:
Australia & New Zealand: Success, formerly 51% owned by S.S. Kresge Co. and 49% owned Coles Myer, stores now owned Wesfarmers Ltd.
Canada: Failure, Kmart Canada filed for bankruptcy in 1997, most Kmart Canada stores were sold to Zellers (whose area was later taken over by none other than Kmart's US rival, Target).
Mexico: Failure, In 1994, Super Kmart launched in suburban Mexico City as a joint venture between the US Kmart Corporation, and El Puerto de Liverpool. Kmart sold their Mexican Super Kmart stores off in 1997 to Controladora Comercial Mexicana, owner of the MEGA hypermarket chain.
Czech Republic & Slovakia: Failure, In 1992, Kmart entered the European market by buying the Maj Department Store chain in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. By 1996, the troubles surrounding Kmart's US stores caught up with their European stores, Kmart sold their Czech Republic and Slovakia stores to Tesco.

One thing that I don't get is why in the world would they focus on all of these other businesses and expanding themselves outside the U.S.A. from the 1990's to the present when the #1 thing that they should have been focusing on is their U.S. stores and trying to make them better? Here is a link on how much they have not focused on their U.S. Stores combined with ShopKoFan's last comments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart

Also, why did The Kmart Corporation ever purchase The Sears Holdings Chain after escaping bankruptcy? With the mistakes that Kmart had already made in the 1990's up to their bankruptcy in 2002, Sears has made Kmart's image even worse since The Kmart Corporation purchased The Sears Holdings Chain. Not only that, but when they stated that they were going to close stores after the 2011 Holiday Shopping Season, I noticed online that the number of people upset with Sears greatly outnumbered the number of people that were upset with Kmart. Why would Kmart purchase a business chain like Sears when you have more people upset with Sears than you do Kmart. If you were Kmart, would you purchase a chain that the consumer dislikes more than your own Kmart Chain?

I just hope and pray that Kmart can get themselves out of this situation. I love my Kmart Stores. They are all that I have left under the Discount Department Store Category that I like since the closure of both Hills and Ames Department Stores.

I agree that Kmart needed to focus on renovating and reimaging their US stores throughout the 1990s to the Big Kmart and Super Kmart image. Instead of opening stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, they should put more focus on perfecting the Big Kmart and Super Kmart image and retail strategy, by opening new locations and relocating from worn-out locations that haven't changed much since the 1960s and 1970s.

[Zayre88]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130509-BIZ-305090391 of Kmart in Portsmouth

I guess KMart is done... :(

Kmart is going out of business one store at a time.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130509-BIZ-305090391 of Kmart in Portsmouth

I guess KMart is done... :(

Kmart is going out of business one store at a time.

Until something is announced, we'll assume Kmart is dying...
(Also, I'm fed up with Sears Holding Company's handling of the US Kmart stores while Sears stands by and lets Coles Myer/Wesfarmers Ltd. treat their Australia/New Zealand stores better in comparison to our stores (Kmart AU/NZ were 51% owned by SSK/Kmart Corp. US and 49% percent owned by Coles Myer up until 1994 when Coles Myer took over full control. US Kmart started having trouble in the mid 1990s.) in appearance and décor. Kmart should be spun off of Sears before they get "seared" by Sears Holdings bad image. It pains me to see both Kmart and Sears fail. They are both great retailers, but incompetent CEOs and other executives have tarnished their image, as well as the condition of the stores themselves, messy, with merchandise out of place, dirty floors, and at some Kmart locations, spilt liquids such as soda pop on the floor. Many Kmart stores have lost some of their business due to their Penske Auto Repair Shops, Kcafes, and Kmart Pharmacies closing. If Kmart dies, then maybe Shopko will take its place as the third largest retailer (after all, they bought Pamida, and converted them to Shopko Hometown), since Shopko has stores in over 15 states. Kmart is not done yet, maybe not for 10 to 15 years. We might have to wait and see what happens to Kmart next.

[IGA/Kmart Is Forever!]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130509-BIZ-305090391 of Kmart in Portsmouth

I guess KMart is done... :(

Kmart is going out of business one store at a time.

Until something is announced, we'll assume Kmart is dying...
(Also, I'm fed up with Sears Holding Company's handling of the US Kmart stores while Sears stands by and lets Coles Myer/Wesfarmers Ltd. treat their Australia/New Zealand stores better in comparison to our stores (Kmart AU/NZ were 51% owned by SSK/Kmart Corp. US and 49% percent owned by Coles Myer up until 1994 when Coles Myer took over full control. US Kmart started having trouble in the mid 1990s.) in appearance and décor. Kmart should be spun off of Sears before they get "seared" by Sears Holdings bad image. It pains me to see both Kmart and Sears fail. They are both great retailers, but incompetent CEOs and other executives have tarnished their image, as well as the condition of the stores themselves, messy, with merchandise out of place, dirty floors, and at some Kmart locations, spilt liquids such as soda pop on the floor. Many Kmart stores have lost some of their business due to their Penske Auto Repair Shops, Kcafes, and Kmart Pharmacies closing. If Kmart dies, then maybe Shopko will take its place as the third largest retailer (after all, they bought Pamida, and converted them to Shopko Hometown), since Shopko has stores in over 15 states. Kmart is not done yet, maybe not for 10 to 15 years. We might have to wait and see what happens to Kmart next.

I'm glad that I am not the only one who sees Sears Holdings making Kmart's image look bad. I say that the two chains need to separate before Sears Holdings destroys Kmart completely so that Kmart can be preserved for future generations.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Two pictures of a Kmart store from opening day, 1985, in West Valley City, Utah.

exterior:


interior:

Why don't the links to these pictures work at all?

The pictures didn't work for me either, so I removed the topic and all related quotes.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Kmart stores with the old 1960s-1980s Kmart logo.


Burwood, Victoria, Australia (First Australian Kmart, 1969)


South Burlington, Vermont, USA


Sacramento, California, USA


Iowa Falls, Iowa, USA

[IGA/Kmart Is Forever!]

Kmart stores with the old 1960s-1980s Kmart logo.


Burwood, Victoria, Australia (First Australian Kmart, 1969)


South Burlington, Vermont, USA


Sacramento, California, USA


Iowa Falls, Iowa, USA

I'll have to admit that I really miss this original 1980's style look for Kmart. I wish I knew someone that had photos of my local Kmart Store that I shop from this time era before they gave it the "Big Kmart" style that it currently has today. Very nice photos ShopKoFan. Thank you for posting them.

[IGA/Kmart Is Forever!]

I'll have to say that the person who wrote this information for www.kmartworld.com in the last step for the survival of Sears Holdings Corp. is head on, which is in step #10 if you click on the link is: Get new leadership.

http://www.kmartworld.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

My only question is though how do we get Lampert to give up ownership of the chain, so that someone who values the chain and the corporation can take over and keep the chain alive while at the same time do things to improve Kmart, their stores, and get their original consumers back that they have lost over the years which Lampert is clearly not doing in all of these categories since taking control of the corporation?

[ynkeesfn82]

In the Waterbury, CT store the former KMART cafe is a huge Clearance Section.

P.S. Apparently KMART is no longer operating out of Michigan. I saw on several KMART branded products (Sense something or other) and it said distributed by KMART Hoffman Estates, Illinois which is where Sears is based.

[cdavid991]

I think personally KMART and SEARS will be gone within the next 10 years...and I say good riddance to them both. Their hiring standards are sexually and racially biased. Almost all of their supervisors are women and minorities who don't know the first thing about management. I have interviewed four times for a LP job at various KMARTs in CT and three times at SEARS and each time they give me a complete run-around. Most of the stores have an all-female LP staff...which is completely ineffective (and the numbers prove it). The fact is...a female manager is not going to hire males, and a minority manager is not going to hire non-minorities.

I was in the Southbury KMART yesterday and I watched two black males walk out of the store with several items stashed away in their coats. For a customer to identify something like this and the LP staff not to notice is just bogus.

Honestly, I really really hope KMART and SEARS go down. They deserve it!

[IGA/Kmart Is Forever!]

I think personally KMART and SEARS will be gone within the next 10 years...and I say good riddance to them both. Their hiring standards are sexually and racially biased. Almost all of their supervisors are women and minorities who don't know the first thing about management. I have interviewed four times for a LP job at various KMARTs in CT and three times at SEARS and each time they give me a complete run-around. Most of the stores have an all-female LP staff...which is completely ineffective (and the numbers prove it). The fact is...a female manager is not going to hire males, and a minority manager is not going to hire non-minorities.

I was in the Southbury KMART yesterday and I watched two black males walk out of the store with several items stashed away in their coats. For a customer to identify something like this and the LP staff not to notice is just bogus.

Honestly, I really really hope KMART and SEARS go down. They deserve it!

I have noticed that they do have a lot of female staff, too. At least the Kmart Store that I go to still has a male store manager. This other Kmart store that I go to however has a female store manager who would not hire me either. Once I got hired at another store though which is a local supermarket chain, I realized that I just wasn't meant to work at Kmart and I realized the reasons why I was not meant to work at Kmart at the local supermarket chain that I got hired at. But at the same time new ownership may be able to change the company around. At least, that is what I hope and pray happens because I have already lost Hills & Ames and Kmart is the last discount department store that I like while at the same time has the product selection that I am always looking for.