jim s.

Sears Holding's Lampert Continues Great Brand Lineup

todd su,

Thanks for pointing out that SHLD doesn't release monthly numbers. But the effect is certainly that they don't show up in the business press.

And given today's announcement, and previous earnings releases, I can see why they play it close to the chest; no need for a steady stream of bad news.

As to the claim of a rock solid balance sheet, I see that their net tangible assets have gone from $7.8B to $5.7B over the past three quarters, while their cash has gone from $3.4B to $1.4B in the same time period. Could it be that SHLD is signing its own death warrant by repurchasing shares at elevated prices?

Then there's the issue of the underlying business. It keeps going down, down, down. There's nothing in the Craftsman line that competes on quality with the name brands at HD and Lowes, except hand tools. Appliances? Whatever. Lands End? A fine name, to be sure, but on our mall L.L. Bean has just opened up a store and it's a doosey. There's just no comparison between Lands End section in Sears to the L.L Bean store, which is like an outdoor experience right there on the mall. While this certainly can't be happening at many Sears stores, it's sure a stick in their eye here in Albany, NY. Though L.L. Bean may regret their expansion soon enough too.