Several weeks ago Sears Hometown Stores made the announcement the corporation is looking for a partner in Glendive. Last week Sears Holdings announced they are closing dozens of Kmart and Sears Stores across the country. Glendive and Dickinson Kmart stores are not on the cut list for now. Instead, the Mondak region is considered a prime spot for rolling out the next phase of a business model the Sears Holding group has worked toward for their brands over the last decade. Even better for the region where shoppers frequently complain of a lack of shopping choices, Glendive is not the only town Sears Hometown Stores hopes to place new retail outlets. Charles Todd, the New Market Development Director for Sears Hometown Stores, said they are also looking for local partners in Miles City, Montana as well as Grafton and Valley City North Dakota. Sidney, Montana is also on their radar and they are already in negotiations with a potential partner there.
The model the company is introducing to the region is a hybrid of their traditional corporate-owned stores and local department store ownership. It is a model which is familiar on a small scale to cosmetic and candle and chocolate companies in that the local partner does not pay for inventory or a franchise licensing fee. The local partner takes care of the location and payroll and associated expenses and Sears Hometown Stores takes care of the inventory. The stores carry many of the same brands sold in both Kmart and Sears stores such as Kenmore and Craftsman. The difference between the business model used between those stores and the Sears Hometown Stores is that more of the dollars spent stay local because the stores are locally owned. A corporate-owned store, on the other hand, sends profits to corporate headquarters.
Todd said he excited about bringing the new model to the region. He is still looking for a partner in the Glendive area as well as Miles City and several towns including Grafton and Valley City North Dakota. He emphasized though that potential store owners in other nearby towns should contact him as well and the corporation is happy to consider additional towns. Since 1993, Sears has helped entrepreneurs successfully open over 1,000 Hometown stores throughout the United States .
According to Todd, Sears Hometown stores typically have between 7,000 and 10,000 square feet of selling space and offer a wide selection of well-known appliances, consumer electronics, tools and lawn and garden equipment, including Sears exclusive brands such as Kenmore appliances, Craftsman tools and lawn and garden products and DieHard car and boat batteries. Sears Hometown stores also offer national brands such as Maytag, Whirlpool, General Electric, Sony, RCA, Pioneer and others. Local repair service is offered as well as product protection agreements and the promise of "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back."
Individuals or businesses interested in partnering with Sears Hometown stores and opening a store anywhere in the Mondak region, contact Charles Todd at 847-452-7786 or email charles.todd@searshc.com
Comments