businesspower

GE Seeks Buyer for Appliance Unit: Lampert Interested?

GE's logic is simple: they need cash now to improve their balance sheet, while being able aggressively buy their own stock back - the strategy to improve their stock performance (about break-even over the last 4+ years).

BTW, if ESL/Lampert would consider GE's deal, why not then go to the next step and get a creative deal with taking control over HD at the same time?

Soap Opera at Sears

Just a small note: since announcing recent changes in Sears structure (division into business units etc.), Lampert has greatly reduced his day-to-day management of the company (playing a role of an active CEO, as he did for the last few years). Now, the interim CEO, Bruce Johnson, heads the company reorganization process. That includes the idea of putting Sears' brands in other stores. Would it be nice to see Kenmore in Home Depot / Lowe's, or Craftsman in Auto Nation (where, by the way, ESL holds nearly 40%) and Autozone (ESL also is a single largest holder)...... And if that to happen, what are the earnings growth potential? And this growth is independent of the economy! Why? Simple: Today Kenmore appliances have the largest market share, while sold in limited number of stores (only those under Sears Holdings umbrella). If to put Kenmore appliances in 2-times the number of current stores it is sold at.......you do the math.
Apply the same logic to Craftsman; or DieHard batteries.....