Case Study: Sears Grand - Why did it fail?

Note: Sears Grand doesn't exist anymore. The last store, in Rancho Cucamonga, California closed in mid-May 2021.

So, once upon a time (well, uh, 2003), before Sears and Kmart merged, Sears wanted to expand with a new off-mall concept, (even at that point it was already kind of obvious that malls were on their way out). So, in October 2003, the first Sears Grand opened its doors, located in West Jordan, Utah. By 2005, there were 8 more Sears Grands (and they were actually really nice, even in 2021 they look just as nice as a 2018-build Target store). 

The first Sears Grand, in West Jordan, Utah (Caldorwards4 on Wikipedia)

But by Spring 2005, SHC wanted to convert a bunch of Kmarts to freestanding Sears stores. So they launched Sears Essentials, which turned out to be a major flop (you can read about all that failure here). After they found out that that had failed, someone had the bright idea (I'm clearly being sarcastic here) to do the same thing again, but under the already-established "Sears Grand" nameplate. You can probably assume how that went. All those stores were converted back to Kmart or closed by 2014, with the last being in Solon, Ohio.

Sears "Grand" (Essentials) in Solon, Ohio (https://deadanddyingretail.com)

So what about the actual Sears Grands? Here's what happened to them.

In April 2004, a second Sears Grand opened in Gurnee, Illinois, and was strangely located in a mall.

In July 2004, a third Sears Grand opened in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In October 2004, a fourth Sears Grand opened in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

In July 2005, a fifth Sears Grand opened in Tarentum, Pennsylvania.

In September 2005, a sixth Sears Grand opened in Austin, Texas.

In October 2005, a seventh Sears Grand opened in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Also in October 2005, an eighth Sears Grand opened in Thornton, Colorado.

The first to fall was the Tarentum Sears Grand, it went dark in early 2015.

The West Jordan store was downsized into a regular Sears in 2017.

The Austin, TX store closed in April 2018.

The Gurnee store closed in September 2018.

The West Jordan store closed permanently in November 2018.

The Las Vegas Sears Grand closed in January 2019.

The Cape Girardeau location closed in October 2019.

The Thornton, CO store closed in May 2021

And the final Sears Grand, in Rancho Cucamonga, CA closed in June 2021.

I'd recommend you watch these videos to get a better idea of what Sears Grand is/was. Note that none of these videos are mine.

Thornton, CO: 

Gurnee, IL:

Rancho Cucamonga, CA:

Cape Girardeau, MO:

Tarentum, PA:

Las Vegas, NV:

West Jordan, UT:

And here's a list of Sears Grand stores I created. If you notice any incorrect information or any missing stores, please leave a comment below. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LIST

Case Study: The failure of Sears Essentials

Sears Essentials. Almost everybody that has an interest in retail knows what it is, or has at least heard of it. But despite Sears Holdings' attempts to make the new name stick, it never really did. Here's the story of the beginning of the end for Sears Holdings.

To get started, here's a basic history of Sears Essentials.

In 2005, the newly-formed Sears Holdings Corporation must've been under the impression that Kmart was the weaker brand (compared to Sears), so they decided to remodel about 50 Kmart stores into a new format called "Sears Essentials". Unfortunately, Sears Essentials turned out to be a miserable failure for the company and ultimately ended up killing many popular Kmart stores before they actually were in a position that they were unprofitable. Most Sears Essentials stores were gone by 2010, and any locations that made it past that point were converted back to Kmart in 2011 or early 2012.

Kaylin Wilson sets up children's clothes in a Kmart in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 2005. The store was the first Kmart in the country to begin receiving Sears merchandise. (https://cnn.com)

Grand opening ad for the Sears Essentials in Marlton, New Jersey (John on Flickr)

And so, in Spring 2005, they started the remodels. About 50 stores received the new Sears Essentials signage. All of those stores were acquired by Sears from Kmart or walmart in 2004. While the Kmarts weren't converted until 2005, the walmarts were remodeled and reopened in late 2004.

A Sears Essentials in Mobile, Alabama (Gulf Coast Retail on Flickr)

The Mobile store looks decent on the exterior. But what about the 70s Kmarts? How did they look as Sears Essentials?

Well, not as nice. The facades look faded and the buildings look run down (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Photo by Josh on Flickr)

Certain customers would take a peek inside and see what's in the pictures below, but others would just avoid the store altogether. In the Bethlehem store's case, that probably meant going to the walmart across the street.

Interior of the Sears Essentials in Mobile, Alabama (Photo by Holcombe of Hidalgo on Flickr). From this view, it doesn't look too bad, although as you look at other parts of these neglected stores, the opinion changes. 

Another view of the Mobile, Alabama store. More than half the lights in the television section are out. (Photo by Holcombe of Hidalgo on Flickr)

In 2011, Sears Holdings pulled the plug on the concept and closed or converted the around 40 remaining Sears Essentials stores back to Kmart. Luckily, they all received a fresh remodel. But the damage was already done and the last of the conversions closed in 2017.

The Sears Essentials in Parsippany, New Jersey was converted back to a Kmart and closed in 2017. (Photo by styertowne on Flickr)

A Sears Essentials in San Diego, California as it was holding a liquidation sale in early 2012 in order to be converted back to a Kmart. (Photo by dirtyblueshirt on Flickr)

And here's a list of Sears Essentials stores I created. If you notice any incorrect information or any missing stores, please leave a comment below. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LIST

So long to the world's oldest Kmart

The Kmart in Costa Mesa, California will be closing in the next few months.

Sears #2484 - Pottstown, PA

Sears #2484, located at the Coventry Mall in Pottstown, Pennsylvania opened in 1967 with the mall. It appears to have received an exterior remodel in the 1990s, as it resembles the 1999-build store in Exton. It closed in 2012, Gabe's opened in half of the building in 2017. In 2014, Limerick Furniture opened on the left side. That ended up closing around 2018. There was no separate auto center.

The store while it was open (https://pottstownpost.com)

Looking from the far left of the store. The space occupied by Gabe's starts at the blue line.

The vacant side of the building

The right side of the building, occupied by Gabe's

Quick Information:

Opened: 1967

Closed: 2012

Address: 351 W Schuylkill Rd

Photographed: April 2021