User 163468

Unseen Value in Sears' Brands

While Diehard may be a well recognized brand name, it doesn't explain why battery sales at Sears are half of what they used to be just a few years back. Besides, it is just another brand manufactured by JCI.

The same can be said about Kenmore. Whirlpool manufacturers the Kenmore brand along with many others, including Maytag, Ammana as well as the Whirlpool brand itself. On top of that, Sears has lost market share to competitors like Home Depot and Lowe's in metropolitan areas. That is why they are desperately trying to set up dealer stores in adjacent areas to stop the "bleeding".

Certainly the Craftman's brand is well recognized in the marketplace. But there is strong competition and Sears has chipped away at the brand value by curtailing the life time warranty in a number of areas. If you don't it, try taking a Craftman's product back to a store some time.

The bright light is Lands' End, but unfortunately, this may end up being a case of guilt by association. Instead of bring the rest of Sears apparel up to the lands' End standard, they are at risk of pulling Lands' End down to the lowest common denominator.

And don't place the real estate on such a pedestal. Look where the Kmart stores are located. Changing demographics left them behind long ago. On top of that, they are so old, many of them have asbestos issues to deal with should a potential buyer wish to redevelop the premises.