Throwback Thursday: Sears stirs the paint
The Jan 3, 1983 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, reported on Sears’ plans to open a half-dozen Sears Paint & Hardware stores – two each in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
The stores, measuring from 2,600 sq. ft. to 3,300 sq. ft., carried paint, as well as hand and power tools, and other hardware store staples.
At the time, Sears dominated the paint market, according to statistics presented in the article. Sears’ market share across the country exceeded 20% of all paint sold at retail to consumers.
The article included this insightful quote from Alan Sakes, president of the 35-unit Saxon Paint Co. of Chicago.
“The Sears people are not fools, and I’m sure they realize this plan still has some buts to be worked out,” Saks said. “But I see two real problems it may not be able to solve. First, Sears doesn’t have the skilled department and store manage network it once did, so who is going to run these stores for them? The genius of Kmart, by way of comparison, is that it trains its store managers in its smaller stores before letting them take over the big ones, but retailers generally haven’t figured out how to do it in reverse.
“Secondly,” Saks added, “is Sears going to run these outlets as a separate entity, or as part of its chain? If it chooses the first option, my position is terrific because Sears will be relinquishing every advantage it has.”
Saks' obituary appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 2005.
# # #
Do you have memories of the Sears Paint and Hardware concept, or Alan Saks? Let us know at [email protected].
The stores, measuring from 2,600 sq. ft. to 3,300 sq. ft., carried paint, as well as hand and power tools, and other hardware store staples.
At the time, Sears dominated the paint market, according to statistics presented in the article. Sears’ market share across the country exceeded 20% of all paint sold at retail to consumers.
The article included this insightful quote from Alan Sakes, president of the 35-unit Saxon Paint Co. of Chicago.
“The Sears people are not fools, and I’m sure they realize this plan still has some buts to be worked out,” Saks said. “But I see two real problems it may not be able to solve. First, Sears doesn’t have the skilled department and store manage network it once did, so who is going to run these stores for them? The genius of Kmart, by way of comparison, is that it trains its store managers in its smaller stores before letting them take over the big ones, but retailers generally haven’t figured out how to do it in reverse.
“Secondly,” Saks added, “is Sears going to run these outlets as a separate entity, or as part of its chain? If it chooses the first option, my position is terrific because Sears will be relinquishing every advantage it has.”
Saks' obituary appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 2005.
# # #
Do you have memories of the Sears Paint and Hardware concept, or Alan Saks? Let us know at [email protected].