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Will Sears get traction with its new appliance and mattress store concept?

June 26, 2017Written by Tom Ryan

Photo: Sears Holdiings

Building on the success of the first Sears Appliances store that opened last year, Sears last week announced the grand opening of its first Sears Appliances & Mattresses location. Located in Pharr, TX, the 20,000-square-foot store targets two of Sears “strongest categories.” The first Sears Appliances store, a 10,000-square-foot location in Ft. Collins, CO, has surpassed projections since its opening last May. "Response to this new concept has been overwhelmingly positive — from member feedback to business performance — so expanding it to another key category like mattresses, and in an important local community like Pharr, made perfect sense," said Leena Munjal, SVP, customer experience and integrated retail, Sears Holdings, in a statement. Sears claims to be the only retailer to showcase all of the top 10 appliances brands, including its Kenmore brand. Customers will be able to visualize how new appliances will look in a full-scale kitchen with "Discover More," a 122-inch interactive digital display. Using tablets, shoppers can select common kitchen layouts and appliances and customize it with colors and finishes. Vacuums, floor care and home environment products as well as countertop microwaves are also available. In addition, shoppers can try out mattresses from top brands including Tempur-Pedic, Beautyrest, Sealy, Serta, Simmons and Stearns & Foster, and shop for select pillows and bedding at the store. Mattresses have been one of the few growth categories for Sears. Sears will also offer a variety of services in the test store, including appointment scheduling with in-store experts. Word of the new concept comes the same day reports surfaced that Sears is planning to close an additional 20 Sears and Kmart locations across the U.S. That's on top of the more than 200 stores already set to close this year.

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