Is Sears Holdings Making Real Progress in Transforming Itself?
Is Sears Holdings making real progress in transforming itself?
The main points that Sears' CEO, Eddie Lampert recently made are in fact spot-on and by no means on the fringes (so much for "crazy Eddie"). It's true that retailers no longer need thousands of stores in order to be competitive, and having a store in every major market is no longer a prerequisite for being a major retailer (though if Walmart pulls off its mega-scale strategy, it may yet prove to be the exception). Marketplace expansion is something that several major retailers are aggressively pursuing as well (Walmart and Staples for example), and others, including Target, are seriously considering jumping in. I wrote about this in a recent article which was also picked up by RetailWire.
Mr. Lampert is no merchant prince, but we've seen how those have been faring lately. I wouldn't count him out.