Where's the retailing power in power retailing? "On the odd chance that something blows out the door, few seem to have a clue as to why.".(Editorial)

Home Textiles Today, March, 2006 by Marks, Jennifer

WHEN THE INDUSTRY looks back on 2006, it may be remembered as a time of existential crisis for big box retailers. Each seems to want to be what the other is--that is, when they have an idea of what they want to be at all. What, for example, is Mervyn's today? Not so long ago, it was one of the top 10 retail accounts for home textiles, and suppliers touted their Mervyn's appointments as a symbol that they had ascended to a certain rank.

Is the contemporary Mervyn's a retail concept in turnaround--or is it a profit vehicle that will be steadily mined for returns by the investor consortium that now owns it? Speaking of which: Sears Holding Company. Sears recently unveiled yet another new Sears Grand format in Summerville, S.C. The former Kmart store features...