Amazingly enough, there is an Australian K-mart, and it's thriving
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart_Australia
Unfortunately for the American owners, although it was founded by the owners of Kmart, it has long been a seperate business.
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Sears Files Bankruptcy
- Thread starter TheBigA
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart_Australia
Unfortunately for the American owners, although it was founded by the owners of Kmart, it has long been a seperate business.
Woolworth is also still in Australia, although it's a separate business there as well:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolworths_Group_(Australia)
The Woolworth company in the US is actually still in business, but became Venator and later Foot Locker after closing their department stores:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_Locker
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And it was never related to the UK and USA Woolworth's. So that one is not "still" operating as it has always been separate.
There is also Woolworth Holdings Limited in South Africa, with stores in many African countries.
Noting to do with the US Woolworth's.
"In November 2020, RadioShack's intellectual property and its remaining operations—about 400 independent authorized dealers, about 80 Hobbytown USA affiliate stores, and its online sales operation—were purchased by Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a Florida-based company that had previously purchased defunct retailers Pier 1 Imports, Dress Barn, Modell's Sporting Goods, and Linens 'n Things, along with The Franklin Mint."
Soon, there will be only 3 K-Mart stores left in the USA, down from nearly 2,400 in the 1990s: 1 in NJ, 1 in NY and 1 in Miami, FL:
theweek.com
Kmart will soon have just 3 stores open in the United States
Kmart will soon have just 3 stores open in the United States
The latest Speed Read,/speed-reads,,speed-reads, breaking news, comment, reviews and features from the experts at The Week
theweek.com
And here I thought Hamilton, Montana would last forever and ever. It too couldn't make it and closed last month. There is no Walmart or Dollar General in town, meaning there isn't a good clothing/housewares/discount-type store left in the Bitterroot Valley. Missoula is an hour away.
I passed by an abandoned Kmart in Lewiston, ID last week. Still has the Big K sign up, hasn't been taken down.
I passed by an abandoned Kmart in Lewiston, ID last week. Still has the Big K sign up, hasn't been taken down.
It's hard to believe that the big 3 discount department stores all started 60 years ago in 1962. Walmart and Target are still going strong, but for K Mart the end is near. 
In their last few years of existence, I found K-mart stores to be all over the road as far as cleanliness, appearance and what you might find inside. I visited one or two that were quite nice, well-stocked and clean and I bought a handful of things from one of their stores nearly until they closed. Another was just "meh" and nothing special, while I visited a few others that were in a poor state of repair, poorly lit with old, 8' fluorescent tube lighting and merchandise that was akin to what the Big Lots / Odd Lots stores originally carried before they became more organized...Random closeout items, stuff they got as other stores or smaller brands liquidated and the like. Definitely a far cry from their heyday just a decade or so previous.
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The KMart I went to most is still empty. What's really unbelievable is that there is an Office Depot in the same shopping center which had to move into a smaller space when Big Lots moved from a mall that is in worse shape. Someone tell me why, since most Office Depots are larger, it didn't move into the KMart space when that became available.
This was interesting to me, given that the K-Mart in the town where I grew up CLOSED in the 1990s. But the first one that I remember closing was in Benton Harbor, MI (K-Mart's home state, no less) in 1987.Soon, there will be only 3 K-Mart stores left in the USA, down from nearly 2,400 in the 1990s: 1 in NJ, 1 in NY and 1 in Miami, FL:
Kmart will soon have just 3 stores open in the United States
Kmart will soon have just 3 stores open in the United States
The latest Speed Read,/speed-reads,,speed-reads, breaking news, comment, reviews and features from the experts at The Week
I don't remember the precise date when it closed, but the KMart closest to where I live moved to the other end of town and the only reason I remember when it was still open is that it was the first place I remember seeing a TV antenna designed for digital TV, which I knew was coming in 2009.
When KMart closed, one of the stores that moved in was a Sears appliance store. Big Lots moved from KMart's old location to another space in the former KMart. I remember going to that old Big Lots location in the 1980s but I think KMart had moved by then.
There was a Lowe's Home Improvement in the same shopping center, which had moved to a larger location, and then it moved out and left a big empty space. Ironically, that space is occupied by a store in the same chain that had to tear down a relatively new store to make room for a new and larger Lowe's, which is one of two successful stores in a nearly empty shopping center which includes a section that was a mall. I thought remembering when Lowe's moved out would help me remember the date, but apparently not.
The KMart I mentioned above moved from the other end of town and the old one was turned into a new location of the very first Food Lion (which was called Food Town when it opened). I only remember that the shopping center was there in 1991.
IIRC neither Sears or KMart were major local radio advertisers. Walmart is a local merchant / advertiser killer. Home Depot spends a lot nationally. Kroger spends locally in Atlanta. Kroger has survived Walmart, Publix, Aldi, Winn Dixie, and Ingles. It seems if a chain uses radio in their advertising mix they succeed. How many radio sales people know this? I remember hearing the "radio doesn't work" excuse. I know several local merchant's that used Facebook because it was "free" ended up going out of business. I wonder if anyone has attempted to corollate lack of radio advertising to failure.
That's because they were always represented by agencies.
Represented by an agency, but does still buy radio in larger markets.
Also represented by an agency, but does spend on radio. Just not in small markets.
Kroger owns several brands, including Fred Meyer out West. They're represented by ad agencies too, who will buy ads by region.
That's what their ad agencies get paid to do: Determine how to spend the ad budget based on demographic and geography to get the best ads to appeal to the most spending consumer population.
All of them. But if agencies aren't spending in your area, it doesn't matter what they know or don't know.
Radio still works, but if there are less businesses who advertise on traditional media, how does radio prove it?
Absolutely, but by that point, they probably couldn't afford to buy radio spots, let alone an ad in the local 'Little Nickel'.
Was just talking to my old business partner in Eastern Washington State. 70% of the radio stations in larger towns like Wenatchee Omak, and Tri Cities are either in bankruptcy, or looking for buyers before they go under. Another larger regional radio group with stations in Washington, Oregon, and Montana contacted me, and asked if I would be interested in becoming a voting investor, or purchase their stations. Knowing what I know, I politely passed.
Sears to close more than 70 Sears Hometown stores:
www.axios.com
More than 70 Sears stores to close across country
More than 70 Sears stores to close across country
The Sears Hometown liquidation sales have begun and will vary in length.
www.axios.com
Here's an article with the list of stores that are closing, and the number is up to 91: Sears store closing list: At least 90 Hometown stores to close
The Paris, TN store, which was the last remaining hometown store in my area and possibly all of TN, is on the list. I'm really not surprised.
The Paris, TN store, which was the last remaining hometown store in my area and possibly all of TN, is on the list. I'm really not surprised.
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I don't mean this to be cruel or disrespectful toward these legacy brands, and I'm sure there are people who are well-served by the remaining Sears or Sears Hometown stores in some parts of the country where they have few other options, especially for older folks or those who aren't internet savvy or who'd rather shop in person, but it's blatantly obvious that Sears and K-Mart are beyond life support at this point. They're rapidly shrinking in numbers rather than growing or even holding steady...So how long do the owners keep the remaining stores on life support and why?
For instance, there are only 3 remaining K-Mart stores. One in NY state, another in NJ and the third is all the way down in Miami, FL. How do they even have any semblance of a distribution system that makes sense or is economical with only 3 stores, all being scattered around like that?
For instance, there are only 3 remaining K-Mart stores. One in NY state, another in NJ and the third is all the way down in Miami, FL. How do they even have any semblance of a distribution system that makes sense or is economical with only 3 stores, all being scattered around like that?
I've said it before but I believe that once Sears goes under completely some of the remaining hometown stores could stay in business as locally owned stores and still keep the Sears sign and name up like I've seen done in places with former Western Auto stores (One in Jackson, TN) and Rexall drug stores (Several in West TN).
The other possibility is that someone buys the rights to the Sears name and runs it as an online only store like has been done with Montgomery Ward and Radio Shack among others. If that happens I don't know if former hometown stores will still be able to use the Sears name.
The other possibility is that someone buys the rights to the Sears name and runs it as an online only store like has been done with Montgomery Ward and Radio Shack among others. If that happens I don't know if former hometown stores will still be able to use the Sears name.
Sky City was one of the many KMart type chains that failed. Back when there were a lot of empty ones I wondered why someone else didn't do that.
In at least one case a supermarket moved into the Sky City and a dollar store took over the smaller supermarket location that had been vacated.
The original Food Lion (called Food Town when it began) did that with an old KMart.
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