Shopko

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko outsourced Wisconsin jobs after taking money from WEDC

MADISON (WKOW) -- Another company that has received millions of dollars in tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has since outsourced Wisconsin jobs overseas.

Since 2012, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation has awarded $2 million to Specialty Retail Shops Holding Corporation, a subsidiary of Sun Capital that serves as the parent company to Shopko, which is headquartered in Green Bay. $1 million of that award was for job creation tax credits.

To date, WEDC records show Shopko has created 94 of a planned 129 new jobs since the award was originally handed out.  

But a 27 News investigation found Shopko has also outsourced jobs to southeast Asia since receiving the award.

On May 6, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits to seven former employees whose data entry jobs were outsourced from the company's corporate headquarters to India in late 2014.

This is just the latest example of a company outsourcing Wisconsin jobs after receiving taxpayer dollars from WEDC.

In July 2012, Plexus Corp. announced it was laying off 116 workers from its Neenah facility. The USDOL ruled those employees were eligible to receive federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits because the work they were doing was moved to an overseas location.

Plexus Corp. did not identify where it relocated those jobs to in 2012, but also has offices and interests in the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Romania, Malaysia and Thailand.

WEDC records show Plexus has created 74 out of a planned 350 new jobs to date, but has received $8.9 million in state tax credits since 2011 - $5.1 million for capital investments.

A 27 News investigation from July 2014 found that Eaton Corp. had received over $190,000 in WEDC tax credits despite laying off 163 employees at its Cooper Power Systems plant in Pewaukee in April 2013.  The company moved those jobs to Mexico.

In April 2015 Eaton Corp. announced it was permanently discontinuing the manufacture of printed circuit boards at its facility in Watertown and sending that work to Mexico as well, which resulted in the elimination of 93 employees there.

Since 2012, the agency has awarded Eaton Corp. with $369,307 of a possible $1 million in job creation tax credits. During that time, Eaton has retained 154 jobs in Wisconsin while adding 23 new jobs.

And last month, 27 News found five employees of W.W. Grainger in Janesville lost their jobs when the multinational business supply corporation outsourced their work to Panama, even though the company was awarded $50,000 in WEDC tax credits. Those tax credits were ultimately revoked and WEDC has instructed Grainger to pay back the $50,000.

After Thursday's revelations about Shopko, WEDC Board member and State Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) told 27 News it troubles him that the same pattern continues.
   
"Our goal was to put the onus on the company to make us informed when they are outsourcing jobs and I'm not clear that that's going on now," said Rep. Barca. "But I think that we do need to tighten our systems."

A WEDC spokesperson told 27 News that the current contract for Specialty Retail Stores Holding Corp. expires in October and if the company fails to meet the deliverables of their contract, including not maintaining jobs in Wisconsin, the agency will recover funds through the penalty provisions contained in the agreement.

[buzz86us]

wouldn't it have been cool if Phar-Mor was merged with Shopko like had been planned.. I could see walmart having some serious competition

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

wouldn't it have been cool if Phar-Mor was merged with Shopko like had been planned.. I could see walmart having some serious competition

Having them work with Phar-Mor would have been a double-edged sword, knowing how bad Phar-Mor's reputation got after their founder, Mickey Monus, embezzled from the company for his own financial gain and to start his own basketball league.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko Hometown will be opening more stores this fall, including a store in Ely, Nevada (formerly True Value Hardware/V&S Variety Store).

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko is holding a grand opening of its Emmetsburg, Iowa Hometown store:
http://emmetsburgnews.com/page/content.detail/id/526600/SHOPKO-Opens-Its-Doors.html?nav=5001

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Here's a recent Shopko store listing:

1-180: Regular Shopko big box stores.
200-213 and 510-799: Shopko Hometown & Shopko Pharmacy stores.
501-505: Shopko Express Rx Pharmacy stores.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

The COPS episode 2918 "One Headlight", which aired Oct. 29, 2016, features a woman getting caught shoplifting jewelry (by concealing it in her shorts) from Shopko store #001 in Green Bay, Wisconsin by the GBPD.

You can watch a preview of the episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOWkcjsMZUA

(This COPS episode is the first to be filmed in Wisconsin)

[retailisking]

Here's a recent Shopko store listing

Are all the "opening soon" sites former Alco/Duckwall stores?

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Here's a recent Shopko store listing:

1-180: Regular Shopko big box stores.
200-213 and 510-799: Shopko Hometown & Shopko Pharmacy stores.
501-505: Shopko Express Rx Pharmacy stores.

Are all the "opening soon" sites former Alco/Duckwall stores?

A majority of the stores are former ALCO locations. Some of them were built by Shopko themselves. The Ely, Nevada location is a former True Value Hardware/V&S Variety Store.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

You can watch the full episode of the latest Cops episode, featuring my current hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin on the second half here:
http://projectwatchseries.com/videos/cops-s29-e18/408653.html

In this episode, a shoplifter gets caught trying to steal some jewelry while shopping at Shopko discount department store. The GBPD and the Shopko Loss Prevention team catch her in the act. Off camera, she is sent to the police department for photos and fingerprints.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

The remodeled Shopko store in the Madison suburb of Monona, Wisconsin.

[danfifepsu]

http://www.omaha.com/money/two-metro-area-shopkos-to-close-at-the-end-of/article_0edeaab1-8c7f-5d6d-adee-7e9f7a201549.html is closing one in Omaha and Council Bluffs (that opened in 2009), OKKK EVEN shopko is doing this tooooo.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

http://www.omaha.com/money/two-metro-area-shopkos-to-close-at-the-end-of/article_0edeaab1-8c7f-5d6d-adee-7e9f7a201549.html is closing one in Omaha and Council Bluffs (that opened in 2009), OKKK EVEN shopko is doing this tooooo.

The Meridian, Idaho store is closing too. Bummer.  :'(

https://boisedev.com/news/2016/11/13/shopko-to-shut-down-meridian-store

Unlike the Kmart and Sears closings, this handful of store closings will give Shopko a "black eye".

Even if a handful Shopko/Shopko Hometown locations aren't doing well financially, the other 300+ stores still are.

List of stores closing:
* Shopko Meridian - Meridian, Idaho; 1999 store prototype.
* Shopko Omaha Northwest - Omaha, Nebraska
* Shopko Council Bluffs - Council Bluffs, Iowa; 2008 store prototype.
* Shopko Hometown Hoopeston - Hoopeston, Illinois

[danfifepsu]

http://www.omaha.com/money/two-metro-area-shopkos-to-close-at-the-end-of/article_0edeaab1-8c7f-5d6d-adee-7e9f7a201549.html is closing one in Omaha and Council Bluffs (that opened in 2009), OKKK EVEN shopko is doing this tooooo.

The Meridian, Idaho store is closing too. Bummer.  :'(

https://boisedev.com/news/2016/11/13/shopko-to-shut-down-meridian-store

Unlike the Kmart and Sears closings, this handful of store closings will give Shopko a "black eye".

Even if a handful Shopko/Shopko Hometown locations aren't doing well financially, the other 300+ stores still are.

List of stores closing:
* Shopko Meridian - Meridian, Idaho; 1999 store prototype.
* Shopko Omaha Northwest - Omaha, Nebraska
* Shopko Council Bluffs - Council Bluffs, Iowa; 2008 store prototype.
* Shopko Hometown Hoopeston - Hoopeston, Illinois

is shopko in trouble

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

http://www.omaha.com/money/two-metro-area-shopkos-to-close-at-the-end-of/article_0edeaab1-8c7f-5d6d-adee-7e9f7a201549.html is closing one in Omaha and Council Bluffs (that opened in 2009), OKKK EVEN shopko is doing this tooooo.

The Meridian, Idaho store is closing too. Bummer.  :'(

https://boisedev.com/news/2016/11/13/shopko-to-shut-down-meridian-store

Unlike the Kmart and Sears closings, this handful of store closings will give Shopko a "black eye".

Even if a handful Shopko/Shopko Hometown locations aren't doing well financially, the other 300+ stores still are.

List of stores closing:
* Shopko Meridian - Meridian, Idaho; 1999 store prototype.
* Shopko Omaha Northwest - Omaha, Nebraska
* Shopko Council Bluffs - Council Bluffs, Iowa; 2008 store prototype.
* Shopko Hometown Hoopeston - Hoopeston, Illinois

is shopko in trouble

Shopko is not in as much trouble as Sears or Kmart. Shopko just has to close a few under-performing stores. Shopko's performance at these four stores was sluggish.

[danfifepsu]

http://www.omaha.com/money/two-metro-area-shopkos-to-close-at-the-end-of/article_0edeaab1-8c7f-5d6d-adee-7e9f7a201549.html is closing one in Omaha and Council Bluffs (that opened in 2009), OKKK EVEN shopko is doing this tooooo.

The Meridian, Idaho store is closing too. Bummer.  :'(

https://boisedev.com/news/2016/11/13/shopko-to-shut-down-meridian-store

Unlike the Kmart and Sears closings, this handful of store closings will give Shopko a "black eye".

Even if a handful Shopko/Shopko Hometown locations aren't doing well financially, the other 300+ stores still are.

List of stores closing:
* Shopko Meridian - Meridian, Idaho; 1999 store prototype.
* Shopko Omaha Northwest - Omaha, Nebraska
* Shopko Council Bluffs - Council Bluffs, Iowa; 2008 store prototype.
* Shopko Hometown Hoopeston - Hoopeston, Illinois

is shopko in trouble

Shopko is not in as much trouble as Sears or Kmart. Shopko just has to close a few under-performing stores. Shopko's performance at these four stores was sluggish.

does that mean tehy wont expand again or pull out of markets? I feel if Kmart goes out soon I hope Shopko can buy many and grow, they have half as many stores as Kmart will reach after this round. but yet sometimes just sometimes a chain needs to go on a diet.

[BillyGr]

No one should really worry about any chain (with a fair number of stores) closing just a few like this.

If they continued to have closings every year (like a certain chain(s) have been doing), if they start closing big chunks of stores or if a chain with only 5 or 10 stores starts closing them, then there could be more of an issue.

Seems like many stores do this (probably lots that don't even get mentioned) as no matter what process they use to decide where to build stores, there is always the chance that one here & there will be badly sited or just don't catch on with the local population for whatever reason.

[retailisking]

At least a couple of these closures can be attributed to encroachment from Walmart, which as we all know is a fierce competitor.

[store215]

In general, I think most retail chains are realizing the 'big box' model simply isn't working anymore. ShopKo seems to do fine with the smaller sized stores, which require less staff and less merchandise to fill. Even Target has cut back....it's growth is small stores in more Urban areas. They only opened/in the process of opening one new 'Regular' Target in 2016. Even smaller 'big boxes' like Staples and Best Buy have reduced the size of their latest stores.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

In general, I think most retail chains are realizing the 'big box' model simply isn't working anymore. ShopKo seems to do fine with the smaller sized stores, which require less staff and less merchandise to fill. Even Target has cut back....it's growth is small stores in more Urban areas. They only opened/in the process of opening one new 'Regular' Target in 2016. Even smaller 'big boxes' like Staples and Best Buy have reduced the size of their latest stores.

In some parts of Shopko's region, the regular-sized big box stores are doing well while in other regions, the Hometown stores are doing great, and some big box locations close due to poor sales figures.

The Shopko stores are testing out a larger grocery and candy department (complete with milk coolers full of milk, juices, deli meats, and cheeses) in most of their big box and Hometown locations in the Green Bay area. Soon, most Shopko stores will stock beer in their grocery department.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko adding beer to some stores
Barry Adams
Wisconsin State Journal
Dec 13, 2015

In an effort to create more of a one-stop shopping experience, Ashwaubenon-based retailer Shopko is adding beer to its large format stores.

The company has applied with the city of Madison for licenses to sell beer at its stores at 2201 Zeier Road and 7401 Mineral Point Road. It also notified the city of Monona last week that it planned to submit an application for the Shopko store at South Towne Mall, said Joan Andrusz, Monona’s city clerk.

information about whether Shopko has applied for a license to sell beer in Beaver Dam was not available Sunday.

Under the proposals, no coolers would be installed. Instead, room-temperature beer would be sold on pallets.

“We’re doing this because our customers have asked for it,” said Michelle Hansen, a company spokeswoman. “We’re trying to do it in as many locations as possible.”

Shopko has 360 stores in 24 states. They include 131 large-format Shopko stores that range in size from about 80,000 to 100,000 square feet and 219 Shopko Hometown stores that are typically about 35,000 square feet and located in smaller communities like Waupun, Reedsburg and Columbus. In Wisconsin, Shopko has 51 big box stores and 24 Hometown locations.

Hansen said most Hometown stores, a concept launched in 2012, applied and received licenses to sell beer, liquor and wine when they were proposed, while most of Pamida’s 193 stores in 17 states had sold alcohol before being purchased by Shopko in 2012. The large format stores, however, will sell only beer.

“It’s just something we realized customers were looking for when they come in and do their shopping,” Hansen said.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

A revised edition of the Shopko store listing:
http://www.shopko-vendors.com/docs/Shopko_Store_Listing_112816.pdf

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

New Shopko pictures:

Store #001 - Green Bay, Wisconsin (Shopko Green Bay West)


Store #177 - Suamico, Wisconsin (Shopko Suamico)

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko launches grocery department

Nate Beck , USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 6:02 a.m. CT Feb. 7, 2017

Shopko recently rolled out grocery departments in about a third of its stores across the country, including in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Fond du Lac’s Shopko, 616 W. Johnson St., was among 127 stores in the network to delve into groceries, adding these services last fall. Oshkosh's Shopko, 1300 S. Koeller St., launched its grocery department about a week ago.

Here, customers can pick up a host of dry goods â€" mainly, cake mixes, canned goods and the like. The Oshkosh and Fond du Lac stores also are equipped with a small cooler for frozen pizzas, though other stores have more expanded cooler sections carrying milk and other foods.

Shopko has 380 stores in 26 states and is headquartered in Green Bay.

“In our effort to deliver the ultimate convenience to our loyal customers, Shopko continues to add to its growing and diverse line of products across all of its stores,” said Greg Doran, senior vice president of Shopko Stores. “As a proud member of the communities we are privileged to serve, we are continually striving to find ways to make our customers’ lives easier, and this grocery expansion is one more means for us to achieve that objective.”

[store215]

Shopko launches grocery department

Nate Beck , USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 6:02 a.m. CT Feb. 7, 2017

Shopko recently rolled out grocery departments in about a third of its stores across the country, including in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Fond du Lac’s Shopko, 616 W. Johnson St., was among 127 stores in the network to delve into groceries, adding these services last fall. Oshkosh's Shopko, 1300 S. Koeller St., launched its grocery department about a week ago.

Here, customers can pick up a host of dry goods â€" mainly, cake mixes, canned goods and the like. The Oshkosh and Fond du Lac stores also are equipped with a small cooler for frozen pizzas, though other stores have more expanded cooler sections carrying milk and other foods.

Shopko has 380 stores in 26 states and is headquartered in Green Bay.

“In our effort to deliver the ultimate convenience to our loyal customers, Shopko continues to add to its growing and diverse line of products across all of its stores,” said Greg Doran, senior vice president of Shopko Stores. “As a proud member of the communities we are privileged to serve, we are continually striving to find ways to make our customers’ lives easier, and this grocery expansion is one more means for us to achieve that objective.”

Wow...welcome to 20 years ago when every other store started it.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Shopko launches grocery department

Nate Beck , USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin 6:02 a.m. CT Feb. 7, 2017

Shopko recently rolled out grocery departments in about a third of its stores across the country, including in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Fond du Lac’s Shopko, 616 W. Johnson St., was among 127 stores in the network to delve into groceries, adding these services last fall. Oshkosh's Shopko, 1300 S. Koeller St., launched its grocery department about a week ago.

Here, customers can pick up a host of dry goods â€" mainly, cake mixes, canned goods and the like. The Oshkosh and Fond du Lac stores also are equipped with a small cooler for frozen pizzas, though other stores have more expanded cooler sections carrying milk and other foods.

Shopko has 380 stores in 26 states and is headquartered in Green Bay.

“In our effort to deliver the ultimate convenience to our loyal customers, Shopko continues to add to its growing and diverse line of products across all of its stores,” said Greg Doran, senior vice president of Shopko Stores. “As a proud member of the communities we are privileged to serve, we are continually striving to find ways to make our customers’ lives easier, and this grocery expansion is one more means for us to achieve that objective.”

Wow...welcome to 20 years ago when every other store started it.

And Shopko Express Rx Pharmacies had groceries since their beginning in 2003, and their larger stores (80,000-100,000+ square feet) had large candy/grocery departments. They are expanding their grocery departments to include coolers and more grocery items (mostly non-perishable food items). This is quite similar to what Big Kmart included in most of their stores in the late 1990s.

Shopko's grocery departments were smaller ten years ago, limited to pet food, soda, snacks, candy and carried only a limited amount of dry goods (the department ws larger in some of their larger locations, and carried mostly candy, soda, and dry goods).

Shopko is also going to carry beer in their stores, as well.

[danfifepsu]

Ok will Shopko buy the remaining SEars and Kmarts or will they fear of being another Target in Canada doing that.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

Ok will Shopko buy the remaining SEars and Kmarts or will they fear of being another Target in Canada doing that.

I don't know if such a thing were to happen.

But I do know that unlike in Target Canada's case, the supply chain distribution would not be a problem.

[danfifepsu]

Ok will Shopko buy the remaining SEars and Kmarts or will they fear of being another Target in Canada doing that.

I don't know if such a thing were to happen.

But I do know that unlike in Target Canada's case, the supply chain distribution would not be a problem.

IT should and how iS Shopko doing better than Kmart. Kmart is just falling apart and will prob go in a year or two.