Brand leverage. (Sears, Roebuck & Co)

Do-It-Yourself Retailing, August, 1997 by Wright, Scott H.

Sears, Roebuck and Co's decision to abandon its catalog store division in 1993 led to the closure of more than 2,000 Sears stores nationwide. This action threatened Sears' hold of the rural market. To prevent further aggravation, the company decided to return to rural America through franchise operations wherein dealers own the store while Sears owns the inventory and pays the dealer a sales commission.

Sears Aggressively Returns to Rural America with Dealer-Owned Stores

When Sears, Roebuck & Co. abandoned its catalog store division four years ago, it shuttered more than 2,000 stores across small town America that had once been the backbone of its rural market retailing strategy. On paper, it was an easy decision to make, since the division had already cost Sears -...

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