Wednesday, November 17, 2004

A Marriage Made in Heaven Or ....?

Remember when your mother bought your school clothes at Sears and most of the appliances in your home were Kenmore? It was about the same time that everybody knew what they could buy at Kresge’s and did so. Both Sears and Kresge’s were American icons. The past several years have not been good ones for either company. Kresge, now K-Mart, has been through a bankruptcy and you hardly hear of people shopping at Sears anymore, assuming you can find a store.

Today, K-Mart bought Sears. Will the combination be able to restore their former glory? It’s doubtful, as for a long time both companies have not had what it takes to succeed in the 21st century as separate organizations. Why should a combination be able to figure out how to compete effectively today when neither one of them has been able to do so separately?

1 comment:

R J Adams said...

I remember watching a news item on this subject, just a few days ago. I wasn't taking too much notice at the time, but their financial 'expert' said it was generally a bad idea. One company, I think he mentioned Kmart, has been bankrupt before. Sears should have stayed solely with hard goods and the Craftsman line, not ventured into clothing, etc where they've not done well. Personally, I would never consider buying a pair of trousers from Sears, though it was certainly a good store from which to purchase my lawn tractor.
Anticipate a gradual decline of both stores as a result, was the opinion expressed.