Apparently Sears plans to lease several Sears and K-Mart store locations to Primark, a successful-in-Europe discount clothier based in Ireland. A retail analyst writing for Forbes takes a dim view of this tactic/strategy, arguing it will hurt Sears. I beg to differ.
The strong brands at Sears are Craftsman tools, Die-Hard batteries, Kenmore appliances, and perhaps housewares. Does anybody buy clothes at Sears any more? One sees few customers in the clothing sections of Sears stores.
Let's assume Primark is successful here in the States. When paired with an existing Sears store, a Primark outlet can bring foot traffic to the doorstep of Sears. This gives Sears an opportunity to sell to Primark customers merchandise for which Sears is known, and to stop devoting floor space to clothing, at the selling of which they seem no longer to excel.
I, for one, would be sad to see Sears follow long-time competitor Montgomery Ward into bankruptcy. My toolbox holds mostly Craftsman tools, my vehicles run Die-Hard batteries and there are Kenmore refrigerators, washers and dryers in both of my homes.
