June 18, 2007
Lands’ End Seeks to Resuscitate Sears
It’s been a continuing story at Sears. One quarter follows another and sales just continue to drop. The chain, which has been criticized for not doing enough to get its business turned around, thinks it may have found at least one answer to help it reverse its downward spiral.
Sears is banking on its Lands’ End store-within-a-store concept (approx. 10,000-square-foot departments) to help it attract shoppers like Jennifer Leonard of Millstone, New Jersey to its stores to buy clothes even though they’ve never bought any apparel from the chain before.
Ms. Leonard told the Asbury Park Press why she went clothes shopping at Sears for the very first time. “I came specifically for the Lands’ End brand,” she said. “I knew it was good-quality stuff. I knew that bathing suits in particular would be a good price and better than anything I can find in Lord & Taylor’s and Macy’s.”
Lands’ End spokesperson Michele Casper, said, “We are actually able to attract new customers as well as bring a higher level of customer service to a retail format. If people are great Lands’ End shoppers, they can now experience that great customer service and assortment within a store setting.”
Eric Romero, a Sears’ store manager in Freehold, New Jersey, told the Asbury Park Press, that the Lands’ End store-within-a-store “has been a great success.”
Ms. Casper said that consumers that see the Lands’ End department as a destination are discovering Sears in the process. “If they haven’t been a Sears shopper… it is also opening their eyes to the Sears retail floor as well,” she said.
Discussion Questions: Will a significant commitment to Lands’ End bring in a whole new group of consumers to Sears? Will it introduce them to other aspects of Sears in the process?
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I consistently believe that consumers need to be given a ‘reason’ to enter a retailer. Why Sears acquired Lands’ End was to do just that–wasn’t it?
Basically, what they are asking for is a ‘do over’. Lacking virtually any other reason, they are likely not to get a ‘do over’ on this one. It’s simply just not going to happen when the consumer can, if they really want it, buy the products with a much better experience on the net or over the phone via the catalog.
So, from my point of view, I still don’t have a ‘reason’ to go there. I’ve given them too many chances. Yet, I do still thank them for the washer and dryer that I received for free from them years ago. Alas, a story for another day.
Nobody can accuse Sears-Kmart of being a fast mover when it comes to its long-anticipated image overhaul. And it certainly took its time getting to this multi-channel strategy for Lands’ End. But if the company has truly been attending to its operational housekeeping, as Mr. Lampert keeps insisting, then maybe it’s time to capitalize on its “house of brands” legacy.
This topic stimulates the following a fantasy scenario:
1) Sears Corporate continues to strategically acquire brands on the softline side, by adding more strong e-catalogs and rolling out in-store boutiques to make them truly multi-channel. Why not an online jeweler, an online shoe site, an online sporting goods site, an online cosmetics brand? How about acquiring the remnants of CompUSA?
2) The company draws a clear line of definition between the Sears and Kmart chains while also emphasizing their connection. A name change for Kmart might help this (how about S Mart?). Sears-only brands and S Mart-only categories get carefully and clearly defined. A comprehensive store decor program updates the present institutional feel of the Sears stores and makes them fashionable.
3) Key brands with cross-platform potential, like Craftsman, Kenmore, Martha Stewart, get merchandised across both platforms. Crappy brands get thrown out. Web kiosks in both stores offer full-line ordering and returns across both chains. An Amazon-like shopping portal links all together on the Web, and Sears credit is accepted for all purchases system-wide.
4) Both chains prominently feature gift cards for each other, including brand-specific gift cards for marquee own labels like Craftsman and Lands’ End.
5) Sears overhauls its services arm and establishes a strong quality control and vigorous ad program to keep its contractors on the straight and narrow. Think “Geek Squad” but for all sorts of installation and maintenance professionals–Sears Certified Home Solutions has a nice ring to it. Again, these services should be prominently available in Sears stores, S Mart stores and online, with a central clearinghouse to ride herd on it all.
6) Sears/S Mart launches an industry-leading sustainability program that includes chainwide energy conservation and solar rooftops on all structures within 10 years. It overhauls merchandise sourcing and adds “carbon footprint” descriptions to all products sold in its stores. It simultaneously becomes the first national chain to add a line of home energy management products, including solar panel systems, passive solar pool heaters, windows, etc.
OK, maybe that’s enough free brainstorming for one post. If Mr. Lampert needs my help with this, he can find me right here on RetailWire….
The other day I was in my local Sears looking for a lawn mower and came across the Lands’ End department, it was very sharp, spacious and polished. I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of the soft shops at Field’s. I liked the navy and cream color scheme, very clean and elegant. Unfortunately all it did was show up the rest of the store as being cluttered and “discounty” with clothing stacked all the way up to the ceilings and hanging off of every square inch of the columns and clothes racks spaced 10′ between each other. The Lands’ End department had a very different aesthetic. Now if someone with vision can take that aesthetic and transform it to the entire store, that would be something! I wish Lands’ End and Sears the best of luck. Great job!
The Lands’ End store within a store concept is great. It’s been in my local Sears for at least two years now. I’m not sure why it’s taken Sears so long to exploit this with promotions, as they seem totally distracted by the competitive onslaught in appliances.
However, as the format is now, once you leave the Lands’ End department, which is nice enough, you enter into a retail nowhere land of miscellaneous assortments and brands, before hitting the appliances and tools in the back.
Sears needs to find a way to better complement the rest of its apparel and accessories with Lands’ End. What they have right now is not enough.
I was in Sears last week to buy a refrigerator, and while the actual errand went fine, the overall experience wasn’t very uplifting: the store seemed understaffed and cluttered, and the exterior dirty…in short, while Sears’ problems are extensive, they also seem traditional and easily fixed. Stop cutting expenses and upgrade the stores.
At first glance I loved the concept–then remembered that, as a bunch of folks have pointed out, Sears should have done this years ago, and in a much bigger way.
I can’t see exactly where Sears has destroyed the Lands’ End brand. If, like me, you only encounter it online and in the mail, it’s pretty much the same as ever.
But if I had been Sears’ management when they’d acquired LE years ago, I’d have immediately converted all but the trendiest soft-goods departments to Lands’ End and leveraged hell out of the brand when they could. The price points have always been reasonable, and Dodgeville could have instantly propelled Sears to the top of the game in the sort of basics that everyone buys at both the top and middle of the market (news flash–even the most upscale shopper needs a good $10 cotton tank top/$20 polo).
Yes, one of the reasons for the department store comeback is that savvy department stores are featuring a number of specialty stores-within-stores. The fact that these stores-within-stores often have their own buyers, marketing, advertising and sales and management personnel is what gives them the ability to be closer to the market, and why they are more likely to feature the products and items that consumers desire.
Lands’ End offers distinctive products, one of the keys to success.
Also, Sears has (finally) embarked on serious multiple channel strategies, another key.
I give this strategy a good chance of success. Sears is coming back.
Lands’ End might be the best thing Sears has going for it with regards to retail, but they are small and insignificant compared to the overall disaster. Lands’ End is too little and too late for Sears.
Let’s see…Sears bought Lands’ End in 2002. They have had five years (of almost uninterrupted sales declines) to leverage this acquisition. What’s taking so long, and is it really working?
Sears’ original stab at Lands’ End shops inside its stores looked like an afterthought, and out of sync with their overall promotional strategy…so devoting more square footage in otherwise underperforming apparel space is probably a good idea. But is the customer drawn to the Lands’ End shops really buying other softlines product at Sears before she leaves?
Sears has a few credible “legacy” brands in its portfolio, especially Kenmore and Craftsman. One of their challenges is how to treat Lands’ End as one of their “legacies” without tainting the brand’s own longstanding reputation. This is just one of dozens of issues that the Sears team must be wrestling with right now.
I have to agree with the store-within-a-store concept. Sears is already known for carrying a wide array of products. Now, they are taking a stab at product quality and differentiation. Lands’ End will hopefully draw in a higher-end crowd, and that will hopefully draw attention to some of the other upgrades they have been making in other product lines as well.
I think Sears has done a fabulous job with Lands’ End in my local Sears. The merchandising is very well done and matches the overall Land’s End brand. They make good use of freestanding displays, the lighting is effective and the product presentations are outstanding. I especially like the inclusion of a monogramming kiosk right in the store, which allows immediate follow-through on a key offering of Lands’ End. I think they’ve hit a home run with it.
Now, the big question is will it attract new customers? I think the short answer is yes. While I doubt they are really new Sears customers, more importantly they are returning Sears customers who have left them for other retailers. The real question is will they be able retain these customers and increase their shopping frequency? The answer lies in their ability to execute beyond setting up the store-in-a-store and keep the area well stocked, well merchandised, and well staffed. I for one will shop there but only if it is a good shopping experience. Can Sears deliver that? The jury will be out a while on that one….
As far as I’m concerned, Sears has never met the mark when it comes to fashion apparel. I don’t shop there for the same reason I never shopped there as a teenager. They simply don’t sell fashion. As exciting as it might seem, having Lands’ End come to the stores just isn’t cutting it. Lands’ End is not the quality it used to be, and what I saw in one of the stores was sports related only.
There is a reason they say “The softer side of Sears.” It’s just that: SOFT. They need to figure out who they are and more importantly, who the customer is. I say abandon the clothing and focus on the hardlines.
Yes, it will bring them in. But will it keep them coming back? Many of us seem to be in agreement that this is the challenge.
Sears has a lot of work to do and I applaud this creative “first step.” But Arthur is right, the brand needs an overhaul and their executives need to get out there and get a firm grip on the competition–and the opportunity. They have a great shot if they get smart and move quickly. Otherwise, I don’t think their few benchmark store brands will carry them into our hyper-competitive, hyper-demanding retail future.
I have consistently contended that Sears would take Lands’ End down if they held on to it long enough, that Lands’ End shoppers would not accept a Sears banner association with their beloved khaki pants and polo shirts. But a new possibility has emerged. Perhaps the Sears brand has finally become so irrelevant that the Lands’ End brand can now surface unencumbered? Anything’s possible, right?
Having been a Sears employee and a loyal Lands’ End purchaser from their beginning on Elston Avenue in Chicago, I think putting Lands’ End stores in Sears would only hurt Lands’ End and not help Sears. The culture in the stores would chase away the Lands’ End customer. A better idea would be to open separate Lands’ End stores.
The experience at the Lands’ End department is decidedly better than what consumers find in the rest of Sears. That is not a good omen for Sears’ chances to convert first-time shoppers who came to the store because of Lands’ End.
You used to be able find anything in a Sears store or Sears catalog – log cabin homes, appliances, clothes, tools, even great gifts with a distinctive Sears wrapping paper. My grandfather would spend his Saturday mornings perusing the aisles, seeing if there was anything he didn’t have or might want. That was 50 years ago.
Today? Well, there’s this little thing called the Internet and if I need to find just about anything, I either use the search box or go to Amazon. Let’s face it – Sears lost its relevance long before the softer side of Sears campaign.
Buying the company was a masterstroke financially for Lampert and the guy is a genius when it comes to analyzing and utilizing data. He has a goldmine in Lands’ End and a portfolio of incredible brands – Kenmore, Diehard, Craftsman. Timeless. Securitizing them was brilliant! He instantly created value and if his retail strategy fails, he’s got brands, real estate, and a huge services business from which to gain value.
But let’s face it – Lampert is not an operator or a merchant. Amazingly, no one on his management team is either. His CEO? Came from a franchise-based fast food business. His CFO? His business partner at ESL Investments. His chief merchant? Unknown at this point. His chief marketing officer? Came from IBM and while she’s well respected, she hasn’t managed a transformation at such a true multichannel operation. The chief customer officer? Came from McKinsey. And the CIO? She spent 21 years at Kmart, a failed and bankrupt operation before Lampert bought it.
Where are the first round draft picks? Where’s someone like Allen Questrom, a classic merchant who can cut costs and create a differentiated brand and merchandising roadmap? Data and analysis is one thing – creating customer centric assortment and differentiated experiences is another.
And that’s where Lands’ End comes into play. It has a very core vision of the customer persona – families who want timeless product and superior value. It’s what Sears should have leveraged long ago… I would argue the current portfolio of proprietary brands have essentially run their course (Covington? Structure?) and the company should have turned over its “softer side” to a viable brand like Lands’ End when they purchased the company 5 years ago. The store within a store concept is heading in the right direction, but it can’t work on its own and needs similar concepts to develop greater relevance for a younger, family-oriented consumer.
The Lands’ End store-within-a-store is a good idea and will draw in some new customers. But this will not be the “golden nugget” for Sears. It will help but they need a new makeover. Sears apparel merchandising has improved over the last four years except no one knows about it. When someone goes apparel shopping, the last place you think to go is Sears.
Image and branding is necessary to improve numbers for Sears. In a poll of women concerning where they shop for clothing, one lady answered “Sears” and everyone looked at her in astonishment. Why? She said, “they are the best kept secret; they have good trendy clothing at great prices.” Being the best kept secret is not what a retailer strives to achieve! They need to reposition themselves while not losing their positions in other areas like tools and appliances. Sears needs to be more in touch with the consumer and react faster. The market won’t wait for them to take years to decide what to do. Speaking of their strongholds, who wants to buy an appliance at Sears and wait a week to get it? Sears needs to get with the program; we are a “want it now” society.
Sears’ issue, like Wal-Mart, is with changing its image and reason for being, to something relevant to the targeted consumer. Research will define this area(s). And, this image change isn’t easy and/or secured quickly.
Yes, you target your current shoppers. But it is the one-timers and non shoppers that are critical. Sears is known for tools, appliances, and whatever. But a meaningful effort in an unknown market to Sears’ target audience–even if Lands’ End is known–isn’t a cake walk.
Service to the consumers who might go to Sears for the new Lands’ End products better be supported by very qualified sales associates, with meaningful knowledge and administration skills.
One bad shopping experience, even with a noted consumer centric brand like Lands’ End will direct the consumers back to the catalog alternative.
Makes sense to this consumer who is bypassing Sears for the catalog and web site of Lands’ End! Hmmmmmmmmm
Sears has destroyed most of the value of the Lands’ End brand. Yes, a shop within the store will stand out and look good in relation to its surroundings but it is not “the answer” for Sears since the brand no longer has meaning to its original upscale, catalog, sailing clientèle (how non-Sears can you get?) and it is also not relevant to the value seeking mall/Sears regular (if there is such a thing left) customers. We all know Sears dropped the ball when it did not seek to emphasize the hard goods, male product strength that was its roots. If it chose the right path when it had the chance it could now be the Bass Pro, Cabela’s of the mall world instead of the floundering giant of soft goods that it is.
I am not sure the concept will really work for the existing Lands’ End customer since the selection is so limited. That is what I have observed at a local Sears store. I would consider adding an in-store computer kiosk where customers could order products directly from Lands’ End website in the event a certain size or color was not available in store. Other retailers like Coldwater Creek offer this ability and it adds significantly to their customer service. Sears could also do more to advertise that Lands’ End returns are handled at store level, thus saving consumers the postage, while bringing them into their stores.
But the store-within-a-store will likely invite new customers who may not be familiar with the quality and variety of Lands’ End merchandise.
Sears needs a total revamp, not a piecemeal approach. The feeling in the average Sears store is similar to that of a store closing sale. Craftsman and Kenmore will not carry Sears.
The staff I have met are indifferent at best. I remember the enthusiasm and friendliness of Sears employees when I was much younger. I remember well-stocked stores with energy and life.
Good concepts dropped into an unpleasant environment will not work. The Sears executives need to get out into their stores and see what the store experience is. Then these executives need to visit Anthropolgie, West Elm, Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, and Target to see what is working in retail. I want them to take lots of notes and set 3 to 6 month targets for change. 4 years from buying Lands’ End to a store-within-a-store is American Automakers idea of speed, and you can see the results in Sears and with the American automotive business.
Sears used to be one of the most shopped American stores; they are now an afterthought. Good luck.
I agree with most of the other comments here that the store-within-a-store concept is a great idea and can work. Sears is not the only retailer practicing this concept today. JCPenney is a good example of another retailer putting this into action with their partner, Sephora. I don’t know if this will be the golden nugget as stated before but to answer the original question, will this bring new customers into the stores? I say YES! For the first time, I shopped in Sears for apparel and went there specifically for Lands’ End. They got me…they will get more.
It has always seemed to me that Sears never quite understood that it was hard for women to see Sears as a place for fashion when it is the same place you go to get your tools and washing machines.
Like the Lands’ End brand a lot, but don’t think it solves this fundamental problem.
Having recently shopped the State Street Lands’ End at Sears’ boutique store, introducing Lands’ End and marketing it effectively is the only way for Sears to go in selling soft goods.
Lands’ End is a great product. It does and will sell in the retail store. The problem is in the selection. Lands’ End is a real company with a lot of product to offer. Folks don’t want to go to Sears to see a sampling of what they can sit at home and see in the catalog. Either make Lands’ End a real line in the store or don’t.
All Sears need to carry the uniform line if only through fall and winter. Where you live and the size of your store determines what is carried. Some stores don’t carry maternity – talk about trying to get the younger folks hooked on Sears, come on.
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I consistently believe that consumers need to be given a ‘reason’ to enter a retailer. Why Sears acquired Lands’ End was to do just that–wasn’t it?
Basically, what they are asking for is a ‘do over’. Lacking virtually any other reason, they are likely not to get a ‘do over’ on this one. It’s simply just not going to happen when the consumer can, if they really want it, buy the products with a much better experience on the net or over the phone via the catalog.
So, from my point of view, I still don’t have a ‘reason’ to go there. I’ve given them too many chances. Yet, I do still thank them for the washer and dryer that I received for free from them years ago. Alas, a story for another day.
Nobody can accuse Sears-Kmart of being a fast mover when it comes to its long-anticipated image overhaul. And it certainly took its time getting to this multi-channel strategy for Lands’ End. But if the company has truly been attending to its operational housekeeping, as Mr. Lampert keeps insisting, then maybe it’s time to capitalize on its “house of brands” legacy.
This topic stimulates the following a fantasy scenario:
1) Sears Corporate continues to strategically acquire brands on the softline side, by adding more strong e-catalogs and rolling out in-store boutiques to make them truly multi-channel. Why not an online jeweler, an online shoe site, an online sporting goods site, an online cosmetics brand? How about acquiring the remnants of CompUSA?
2) The company draws a clear line of definition between the Sears and Kmart chains while also emphasizing their connection. A name change for Kmart might help this (how about S Mart?). Sears-only brands and S Mart-only categories get carefully and clearly defined. A comprehensive store decor program updates the present institutional feel of the Sears stores and makes them fashionable.
3) Key brands with cross-platform potential, like Craftsman, Kenmore, Martha Stewart, get merchandised across both platforms. Crappy brands get thrown out. Web kiosks in both stores offer full-line ordering and returns across both chains. An Amazon-like shopping portal links all together on the Web, and Sears credit is accepted for all purchases system-wide.
4) Both chains prominently feature gift cards for each other, including brand-specific gift cards for marquee own labels like Craftsman and Lands’ End.
5) Sears overhauls its services arm and establishes a strong quality control and vigorous ad program to keep its contractors on the straight and narrow. Think “Geek Squad” but for all sorts of installation and maintenance professionals–Sears Certified Home Solutions has a nice ring to it. Again, these services should be prominently available in Sears stores, S Mart stores and online, with a central clearinghouse to ride herd on it all.
6) Sears/S Mart launches an industry-leading sustainability program that includes chainwide energy conservation and solar rooftops on all structures within 10 years. It overhauls merchandise sourcing and adds “carbon footprint” descriptions to all products sold in its stores. It simultaneously becomes the first national chain to add a line of home energy management products, including solar panel systems, passive solar pool heaters, windows, etc.
OK, maybe that’s enough free brainstorming for one post. If Mr. Lampert needs my help with this, he can find me right here on RetailWire….
The other day I was in my local Sears looking for a lawn mower and came across the Lands’ End department, it was very sharp, spacious and polished. I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of the soft shops at Field’s. I liked the navy and cream color scheme, very clean and elegant. Unfortunately all it did was show up the rest of the store as being cluttered and “discounty” with clothing stacked all the way up to the ceilings and hanging off of every square inch of the columns and clothes racks spaced 10′ between each other. The Lands’ End department had a very different aesthetic. Now if someone with vision can take that aesthetic and transform it to the entire store, that would be something! I wish Lands’ End and Sears the best of luck. Great job!
The Lands’ End store within a store concept is great. It’s been in my local Sears for at least two years now. I’m not sure why it’s taken Sears so long to exploit this with promotions, as they seem totally distracted by the competitive onslaught in appliances.
However, as the format is now, once you leave the Lands’ End department, which is nice enough, you enter into a retail nowhere land of miscellaneous assortments and brands, before hitting the appliances and tools in the back.
Sears needs to find a way to better complement the rest of its apparel and accessories with Lands’ End. What they have right now is not enough.
I was in Sears last week to buy a refrigerator, and while the actual errand went fine, the overall experience wasn’t very uplifting: the store seemed understaffed and cluttered, and the exterior dirty…in short, while Sears’ problems are extensive, they also seem traditional and easily fixed. Stop cutting expenses and upgrade the stores.
At first glance I loved the concept–then remembered that, as a bunch of folks have pointed out, Sears should have done this years ago, and in a much bigger way.
I can’t see exactly where Sears has destroyed the Lands’ End brand. If, like me, you only encounter it online and in the mail, it’s pretty much the same as ever.
But if I had been Sears’ management when they’d acquired LE years ago, I’d have immediately converted all but the trendiest soft-goods departments to Lands’ End and leveraged hell out of the brand when they could. The price points have always been reasonable, and Dodgeville could have instantly propelled Sears to the top of the game in the sort of basics that everyone buys at both the top and middle of the market (news flash–even the most upscale shopper needs a good $10 cotton tank top/$20 polo).
Yes, one of the reasons for the department store comeback is that savvy department stores are featuring a number of specialty stores-within-stores. The fact that these stores-within-stores often have their own buyers, marketing, advertising and sales and management personnel is what gives them the ability to be closer to the market, and why they are more likely to feature the products and items that consumers desire.
Lands’ End offers distinctive products, one of the keys to success.
Also, Sears has (finally) embarked on serious multiple channel strategies, another key.
I give this strategy a good chance of success. Sears is coming back.
Lands’ End might be the best thing Sears has going for it with regards to retail, but they are small and insignificant compared to the overall disaster. Lands’ End is too little and too late for Sears.
Let’s see…Sears bought Lands’ End in 2002. They have had five years (of almost uninterrupted sales declines) to leverage this acquisition. What’s taking so long, and is it really working?
Sears’ original stab at Lands’ End shops inside its stores looked like an afterthought, and out of sync with their overall promotional strategy…so devoting more square footage in otherwise underperforming apparel space is probably a good idea. But is the customer drawn to the Lands’ End shops really buying other softlines product at Sears before she leaves?
Sears has a few credible “legacy” brands in its portfolio, especially Kenmore and Craftsman. One of their challenges is how to treat Lands’ End as one of their “legacies” without tainting the brand’s own longstanding reputation. This is just one of dozens of issues that the Sears team must be wrestling with right now.
I have to agree with the store-within-a-store concept. Sears is already known for carrying a wide array of products. Now, they are taking a stab at product quality and differentiation. Lands’ End will hopefully draw in a higher-end crowd, and that will hopefully draw attention to some of the other upgrades they have been making in other product lines as well.
I think Sears has done a fabulous job with Lands’ End in my local Sears. The merchandising is very well done and matches the overall Land’s End brand. They make good use of freestanding displays, the lighting is effective and the product presentations are outstanding. I especially like the inclusion of a monogramming kiosk right in the store, which allows immediate follow-through on a key offering of Lands’ End. I think they’ve hit a home run with it.
Now, the big question is will it attract new customers? I think the short answer is yes. While I doubt they are really new Sears customers, more importantly they are returning Sears customers who have left them for other retailers. The real question is will they be able retain these customers and increase their shopping frequency? The answer lies in their ability to execute beyond setting up the store-in-a-store and keep the area well stocked, well merchandised, and well staffed. I for one will shop there but only if it is a good shopping experience. Can Sears deliver that? The jury will be out a while on that one….
As far as I’m concerned, Sears has never met the mark when it comes to fashion apparel. I don’t shop there for the same reason I never shopped there as a teenager. They simply don’t sell fashion. As exciting as it might seem, having Lands’ End come to the stores just isn’t cutting it. Lands’ End is not the quality it used to be, and what I saw in one of the stores was sports related only.
There is a reason they say “The softer side of Sears.” It’s just that: SOFT. They need to figure out who they are and more importantly, who the customer is. I say abandon the clothing and focus on the hardlines.
Yes, it will bring them in. But will it keep them coming back? Many of us seem to be in agreement that this is the challenge.
Sears has a lot of work to do and I applaud this creative “first step.” But Arthur is right, the brand needs an overhaul and their executives need to get out there and get a firm grip on the competition–and the opportunity. They have a great shot if they get smart and move quickly. Otherwise, I don’t think their few benchmark store brands will carry them into our hyper-competitive, hyper-demanding retail future.
I have consistently contended that Sears would take Lands’ End down if they held on to it long enough, that Lands’ End shoppers would not accept a Sears banner association with their beloved khaki pants and polo shirts. But a new possibility has emerged. Perhaps the Sears brand has finally become so irrelevant that the Lands’ End brand can now surface unencumbered? Anything’s possible, right?
Having been a Sears employee and a loyal Lands’ End purchaser from their beginning on Elston Avenue in Chicago, I think putting Lands’ End stores in Sears would only hurt Lands’ End and not help Sears. The culture in the stores would chase away the Lands’ End customer. A better idea would be to open separate Lands’ End stores.
The experience at the Lands’ End department is decidedly better than what consumers find in the rest of Sears. That is not a good omen for Sears’ chances to convert first-time shoppers who came to the store because of Lands’ End.
You used to be able find anything in a Sears store or Sears catalog – log cabin homes, appliances, clothes, tools, even great gifts with a distinctive Sears wrapping paper. My grandfather would spend his Saturday mornings perusing the aisles, seeing if there was anything he didn’t have or might want. That was 50 years ago.
Today? Well, there’s this little thing called the Internet and if I need to find just about anything, I either use the search box or go to Amazon. Let’s face it – Sears lost its relevance long before the softer side of Sears campaign.
Buying the company was a masterstroke financially for Lampert and the guy is a genius when it comes to analyzing and utilizing data. He has a goldmine in Lands’ End and a portfolio of incredible brands – Kenmore, Diehard, Craftsman. Timeless. Securitizing them was brilliant! He instantly created value and if his retail strategy fails, he’s got brands, real estate, and a huge services business from which to gain value.
But let’s face it – Lampert is not an operator or a merchant. Amazingly, no one on his management team is either. His CEO? Came from a franchise-based fast food business. His CFO? His business partner at ESL Investments. His chief merchant? Unknown at this point. His chief marketing officer? Came from IBM and while she’s well respected, she hasn’t managed a transformation at such a true multichannel operation. The chief customer officer? Came from McKinsey. And the CIO? She spent 21 years at Kmart, a failed and bankrupt operation before Lampert bought it.
Where are the first round draft picks? Where’s someone like Allen Questrom, a classic merchant who can cut costs and create a differentiated brand and merchandising roadmap? Data and analysis is one thing – creating customer centric assortment and differentiated experiences is another.
And that’s where Lands’ End comes into play. It has a very core vision of the customer persona – families who want timeless product and superior value. It’s what Sears should have leveraged long ago… I would argue the current portfolio of proprietary brands have essentially run their course (Covington? Structure?) and the company should have turned over its “softer side” to a viable brand like Lands’ End when they purchased the company 5 years ago. The store within a store concept is heading in the right direction, but it can’t work on its own and needs similar concepts to develop greater relevance for a younger, family-oriented consumer.
The Lands’ End store-within-a-store is a good idea and will draw in some new customers. But this will not be the “golden nugget” for Sears. It will help but they need a new makeover. Sears apparel merchandising has improved over the last four years except no one knows about it. When someone goes apparel shopping, the last place you think to go is Sears.
Image and branding is necessary to improve numbers for Sears. In a poll of women concerning where they shop for clothing, one lady answered “Sears” and everyone looked at her in astonishment. Why? She said, “they are the best kept secret; they have good trendy clothing at great prices.” Being the best kept secret is not what a retailer strives to achieve! They need to reposition themselves while not losing their positions in other areas like tools and appliances. Sears needs to be more in touch with the consumer and react faster. The market won’t wait for them to take years to decide what to do. Speaking of their strongholds, who wants to buy an appliance at Sears and wait a week to get it? Sears needs to get with the program; we are a “want it now” society.
Sears’ issue, like Wal-Mart, is with changing its image and reason for being, to something relevant to the targeted consumer. Research will define this area(s). And, this image change isn’t easy and/or secured quickly.
Yes, you target your current shoppers. But it is the one-timers and non shoppers that are critical. Sears is known for tools, appliances, and whatever. But a meaningful effort in an unknown market to Sears’ target audience–even if Lands’ End is known–isn’t a cake walk.
Service to the consumers who might go to Sears for the new Lands’ End products better be supported by very qualified sales associates, with meaningful knowledge and administration skills.
One bad shopping experience, even with a noted consumer centric brand like Lands’ End will direct the consumers back to the catalog alternative.
Makes sense to this consumer who is bypassing Sears for the catalog and web site of Lands’ End! Hmmmmmmmmm
Sears has destroyed most of the value of the Lands’ End brand. Yes, a shop within the store will stand out and look good in relation to its surroundings but it is not “the answer” for Sears since the brand no longer has meaning to its original upscale, catalog, sailing clientèle (how non-Sears can you get?) and it is also not relevant to the value seeking mall/Sears regular (if there is such a thing left) customers. We all know Sears dropped the ball when it did not seek to emphasize the hard goods, male product strength that was its roots. If it chose the right path when it had the chance it could now be the Bass Pro, Cabela’s of the mall world instead of the floundering giant of soft goods that it is.
I am not sure the concept will really work for the existing Lands’ End customer since the selection is so limited. That is what I have observed at a local Sears store. I would consider adding an in-store computer kiosk where customers could order products directly from Lands’ End website in the event a certain size or color was not available in store. Other retailers like Coldwater Creek offer this ability and it adds significantly to their customer service. Sears could also do more to advertise that Lands’ End returns are handled at store level, thus saving consumers the postage, while bringing them into their stores.
But the store-within-a-store will likely invite new customers who may not be familiar with the quality and variety of Lands’ End merchandise.
Sears needs a total revamp, not a piecemeal approach. The feeling in the average Sears store is similar to that of a store closing sale. Craftsman and Kenmore will not carry Sears.
The staff I have met are indifferent at best. I remember the enthusiasm and friendliness of Sears employees when I was much younger. I remember well-stocked stores with energy and life.
Good concepts dropped into an unpleasant environment will not work. The Sears executives need to get out into their stores and see what the store experience is. Then these executives need to visit Anthropolgie, West Elm, Best Buy, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, and Target to see what is working in retail. I want them to take lots of notes and set 3 to 6 month targets for change. 4 years from buying Lands’ End to a store-within-a-store is American Automakers idea of speed, and you can see the results in Sears and with the American automotive business.
Sears used to be one of the most shopped American stores; they are now an afterthought. Good luck.
I agree with most of the other comments here that the store-within-a-store concept is a great idea and can work. Sears is not the only retailer practicing this concept today. JCPenney is a good example of another retailer putting this into action with their partner, Sephora. I don’t know if this will be the golden nugget as stated before but to answer the original question, will this bring new customers into the stores? I say YES! For the first time, I shopped in Sears for apparel and went there specifically for Lands’ End. They got me…they will get more.
It has always seemed to me that Sears never quite understood that it was hard for women to see Sears as a place for fashion when it is the same place you go to get your tools and washing machines.
Like the Lands’ End brand a lot, but don’t think it solves this fundamental problem.
Having recently shopped the State Street Lands’ End at Sears’ boutique store, introducing Lands’ End and marketing it effectively is the only way for Sears to go in selling soft goods.
Lands’ End is a great product. It does and will sell in the retail store. The problem is in the selection. Lands’ End is a real company with a lot of product to offer. Folks don’t want to go to Sears to see a sampling of what they can sit at home and see in the catalog. Either make Lands’ End a real line in the store or don’t.
All Sears need to carry the uniform line if only through fall and winter. Where you live and the size of your store determines what is carried. Some stores don’t carry maternity – talk about trying to get the younger folks hooked on Sears, come on.