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Is the Reopened Burbank Sears a Comeback or a Letdown?
In late October, Best Life reported that Sears reopened a store in California, but so far it has received a lot of criticism from shoppers.
Though many retailers have filed for bankruptcy in recent years — including Bed Bath & Beyond, David’s Bridal, and Tuesday Morning — the gradual descent of Sears has been uniquely heartbreaking. This once cherished department store chain has seen its presence shrink from a sprawling network of thousands to a mere smattering of outlets. Attempts at a resurgence appear futile, as a recently revived branch has come under heavy fire from disgruntled Sears customers.
The story of Sears’ ascent and descent stretches across multiple decades. In 2010, Sears Holding Corporation was at the helm of over 3,500 Sears and Kmart stores, a result of a merger from the early 2000s, as reported by Business Insider. However, by October 2018, the corporation had been plunged into bankruptcy, with fewer than 700 stores remaining at the point of filing.
The following years saw an even more drastic decline in the number of stores. By the middle of this year, it bid farewell to its last standing stores in several states, such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Louisiana. As of Oct. 26, ScrapeHero reported that the department store network has dwindled to a mere 12 locations nationwide: four in California (including the revived store), three in Florida, and solitary stores in New Jersey, Texas, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and Washington.
While the Sears saga seemed to be one of relentless decline, an unexpected twist materialized in the rejuvenation of this store in California. Earlier this year, rumors began to circulate regarding the resurrection of a previously closed Sears store in Burbank, California, nestled within Los Angeles County — a store that had shut its operations in December 2022, according to CoStar News.
The general manager of Burbank Town Center, Eric Maenner, corroborated these rumors, revealing to the media that there were indeed plans for a “soft opening” of the expansive, three-story Sears store located at 111 E. Magnolia Blvd. The site aroused curiosity over time, as passersby noted indicators of revival, including signs reading “Rediscover Sears” and what seemed like replenished shelves, visible through the second-story window.
On Oct. 22, these rumors ceased to be mere speculation when the once-defunct Sears store opened its doors, delighting customers with a soft launch, as reported by KTLA.
However, it would be premature to herald this as a comeback for Sears. The department store’s recent resurgence has already been subject to much backlash from shoppers on social media.
One Reddit user took to the r/LosAngeles subreddit on Oct. 22, describing the Burbank Sears’ grand opening as “the saddest thing I’ve ever seen,” accompanying the lament with photographs of barren shelves and limited stock. “I was excited to check out the store. A cashier told me they spent ten months remodeling it, but I can’t figure out what was changed besides the inventory,” the user continued. “The carpet is filthy and the drop ceiling was stained with missing pieces. The registers, counters, price-checker, basically everything was dated and old. Ignoring all that, there was a severe lack of inventory missing all throughout the store.”
Despite the prevailing criticism from this user and others, some consumers present a contrasting narrative about the department store’s resurgence. In response to a Facebook post about the store’s reopening, a customer expressed their delight, calling it a fulfillment of a long-held wish for the area. They recounted, “It looked great, I was there today. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there! The employees were tending to the dressing rooms…You even had holiday items! What a great event.”
In the thread of the Reddit post, others advised taking a more hopeful stance toward the store’s future. One of them noted, “From my understanding, it’s a soft opening, there is really no press about it. I think they’re just trying to work kinks out with their business before they go live, officially.”
Hopefully, retailers like Sears will be able to learn from past mistakes and evolve with the times for more success than failure.
Discussion Questions
Is the reopening of this Sears store a positive sign of resurgence or a questionable attempt considering the past decline of Sears? Would you consider it a success or failure so far? What steps do you think retailers like Sears should take to learn from the mistakes of the past and adapt to modern shopping trends and preferences?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Mohamed Amer, PhD
Independent Board Member, Investor and Startup Advisor
Mark Ryski
Founder, CEO & Author, HeadCount Corporation
Sears is not a serious retailer; it has not been a serious retailer for many years. Management has progressively run the business into the ground through a consistent lack of investment and vision. Today, what was once the largest and most innovative retailer in the world is basically a non-entity in the sector. For all the fanfare of reopening, the Burbank store does nothing to change that trajectory. While the store has been ‘soft launched’ there is no new thinking, nothing of great interest to shoppers, and nothing to differentiate Sears from the competition. It’s basically the same lousy retail that drove Sears under in the first place. I suspect the reopening has more to do with being unable to dispose of the real estate and trying to monetize the space rather than allowing it to sit idle.
The proclamation, the king is dead, long live the king may seem appropriate here, but in reality, the king of department stores that was once Sears is dead and remains dead. Burbank or any other reopenings are mere flickers of despair masquerading as hopeful revival. Retailing is competitive, where only the strong can thrive. In every aspect, competitive pressures, resource mismanagement, and hubris have relegated Sears to the dustbin of history—nothing to see in this rearview mirror.
Opening a new Sears store is like a bad joke. I doubt that this is the start of something new or meaningful for a brand that needs to permanently go away. Why would any consumer shop at a Sears store today when there are so many better options? Nostalgia may be a shopping motivation for a small number of shoppers, but it’s hardly the basis for rebirth of a brand that substantially died a decade ago. Among the long list of missteps and bad decisions at Sears, selling the Craftsman tool brand in 2017 – a strong brand that had real value to consumers – has to be at the top of the list of bad moves.
I’m not sure this makes much sense, and I’m baffled as to why they didn’t look to a digital first approach. They should have called me first! ; )
Of course, you’d have to go visit that Burbank store to see for yourself. But when one review is glowing and generic and the other is critical and calls out details, always believe the detailed one.
Sears once had the best customer database in the world, but that is a faded memory now. This seems to be a half-hearted attempt to get back into a game they lost decades ago. Even the Sears/Kmart website looks mostly like a blast from the past. Time to punt again.
I see no overarching strategy here guiding this decision, so I’m not convinced it’s a good sign.
I hesitate to pass judgment on anything based solely on social media reports (as the last 8 years have constantly reminded me). Still, anything less than a complete, top-to-bottom reinvention of the Sears experience would be, for me, a disappointment. The brand is so…tired, and its stores and assortment embodied that exhaustion for years before the eventual collapse. If the Brubank store in fact does have signs asking (begging?) people to “rediscover” Sears, they need to wildly overdeliver on that promise if they hold any hope of restarting the brand. My guess is we would be hearing much more about it on said social media (and elsewhere) if they had pulled off a noteworthy reinvention…
Sears is heartbreaking and baffling. (I worked for Sears in college; my grandmother retired from Sears.) Sears has no understanding of modern retailing and no apparent desire to learn. I’ve been calling it the world’s longest liquidation sale.
Sears has not been successful in the past 10 years and this recent resurgence attempt doesn’t sound like it will be a success. Department stores are a highly competitive segment and without a loyal following and a strong brand image, it is very challenging to take market share from successful brands like Target and Walmart. Also, without a large number of stores, Sears doesn’t have the bargaining power of their competitors and won’t be able to compete on price.
Why open before all the kinks are worked out? There is so much negative to counter with Sears, that opening before being truly ready is yet another management mistake.
Call me a cynic, but my first thought in reaction to this news is that they discovered some legal requirement that made reopening this store a requirement for their continued ability to suck this carcass dry (I thought it was fully, repeatedly the deadest of dead already). Shopper reviews definitely point in that direction more so than anything else.
Sears died more than 25 years ago. They open a store in Burbank, so what…
The underlying motive is a bit of a mystery here. What retailer wakes up in the morning and says, “What can I do to embarrass myself today?” Sounds like somebody at the top made a decision without any regard to the realities on the ground. And somebody at the store level said, “You want to do WHAT? And you want to do it WHEN?” This was obviously not a well thought through process. So WHY?
My guess is this is for a movie. There’s no other rational reason.
Not eliminating the “kinks” before a soft or any kind of opening is an immediate sign that Sears is not ready to succeed. It would seem that management is relying on some long forgotten brand equity. Maybe they should start with paper catalogs. They were a winner way back when and other retailers are making use of them currently. It would help to better understand what inventory to consider.
I see dead brands.
“We can’t miss you if you won’t go away.”
Hard to not answer this question in the negative when Dennis writes – probably correctly – “Attempts at a resurgence appear futile …” I’d say he answered his own question. As to the final question, I think it’s safe to assume that – minus divine intervention – Sears is just stumbling its way to the retail graveyard. Punta. Full stop.
This seems like the kind of story RW would have had as backup when the 3-per-day rule was in effect; now that we’re more selective I’m startled it made the cut.
Anyway: what was the goal? Attention ? Laughs? A way to avoid paying off on a drunken bet? If any of those, mission accomplished! Otherwise: No.
I’m with Nikki on this one. It has to be a legal maneuver designed to squeeze out every last cent from the long slow sad decent from the retail powerhouse of the 80s and 90s. Please let Sears RIP!
In my opinion, the reopening of the Sears store in California appears to be a questionable attempt at resurgence. The mixed reactions from shoppers, with some expressing disappointment in the store’s condition, suggest potential challenges. However, it’s too early to label it a success or failure, as it’s a “soft opening”, but addressing concerns about inventory, cleanliness, and outdated infrastructure is crucial. Retailers like Sears should prioritize thorough market research, understanding local preferences, and investing in a modernized shopping experience. In addition, embracing eCommerce and omnichannel strategies, along with efficient inventory management, can help them adapt to evolving customer trends. Eventually, learning from the past mistakes and prioritizing customer satisfaction will be the key for Sears, if they desire long-term success for their stores.