Sears gives kids' apparel the superstore treatment - Kids & More department

Discount Store News, March 20, 1989 by Donald Longo

Sears Gives Kids' Apparel The Superstore Treatment

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. -- In a bid to buttress one of its strongest businesses, Sears unveiled a new children's 25,000-square-foot superstore in its Southlake Mall store here.

"Kids & More represents a key element in our overall strategy to gain greater market share in those businesses where we choose to compete," said Michael Bozic, chairman and chief executive officer of the $30.3 billion Sears Merchandise Group.

The second superstore in Sears' plan to become a "store of superstores," Kids & More is the pilot for a potential rollout of the new children's superstore in nearly 400 markets nationwide.

After a fine-tuning the concept here in northwestern Indiana and in the new Sears Ltd. store opening next month in Ford City, south of Chicago, Kids & More will be rolled out across the nation next year, said Bozic, during a special press conference at a hotel here on March 8.

The first Sears superstore within a store, Brand Central, was introduced in 18 Indiana and Kentucky stores last year. Bozic said the home electronics and appliances superstore will be added to more than 400 stores this year and to the balance of Sears stores next year.

"For the same reason we've become more aggressive in the home appliance and electronics marketplace, we will be equally aggressive in children's apparel," said Bozic. "Simply stated: We refuse to allow others to usurp our strongest businesses."

Other superstore formats are being developed and prototypes will be opened this year as part of Sears overall growth strategy. Men's and women's apparel, home fashions, hardware, automotives, and lawn and garden shops are in the planning stages.

Kids & More follows Sears new overall merchandising strategy of everyday low prices and more national name brands.

"We've seen the growth of the discounters and the specialty stores," said Bozic. "Discounters concentrate on the price side only to increase market share, while the specialty stores focus on name brands and assortments."

Based on interviews and research among mothers and children, Kids & More has brought together a collection of distinctive shops into a single power department: . Big Kids devotes half its sales floor to girls' sizes 7 to 16 and the other half to boys' sizes 8 to 20. The boys' and girls' areas are separated by a wall or, at the Merrillville store, an escalator.

The atmosphere in both the boys' and girls' shops is upbeat and contemporary. The girls' section features national branded casual as well as dress clothing. There is also an extensive Pretty Plus assortment for larger-sized girls. TV monitors throughout the shop show music and other entertainment videos.

The atmosphere in the boys' section is sports oriented. A sports theater sponsored by Sports Illustrated shows bloopers, Olympic and other sports films. Nearby is an area called the Locker Room, where socks, underwear and staples are displayed. There is also a husky shop. . The Little Kids' shop also separates the girls' and boys' merchandise. It includes a cushioned play area with a TV showing cartoons. . Baby World is adjacent to Little Kids. The shop contains a newborn shop, including competitively priced disposable diapers in bulk displays. There is also a christening shop with a new heirloom gift collection and christening apparel, baby furniture in nursery settings and a baby safety center with car seats, electrical outlet safety plugs, door latches and safety gates. . A Maternity section is adjacent to Baby World.

"It's private and pleasant for this customer to shop," said Warren Flick, vice president, men's and children's apparel. "Yet, it is our hope that after shopping Kids & More for most of nine months, mothers-to-be will be totally familiar with our Baby World offerings by the time her child arrives." . The toy shop represents a major change at Sears. Rather than the usual selection of games and toys found at most Sears stores, Kids & More merchandises just activity toys and other impulse items.

Other special touches at Kids & More include electronic games, a photo studio, and a children's hair cutting salon.

Kids & More is the first department at Sears in which parents will find shopping carts, a convenience aimed at making the shopping experience more pleasant for mothers with young children, said Flick.

The superstore department merchandises more than 70 national brand names in apparel, shoes, toys, infant furniture and accessories. These include Bugle Boy, Dockers, Hush Puppies, LeTigre, Levi, Reebok and Rothschild. It also sells such Sears brands as Winnie-the-Pooh, McKids and Toughskins.

The Kids & More superstore represents about a 40 percent increase in space and product assortment over a traditional Sears children's department. Space for the kids' superstore in Merrillville was created by relocating Sears' furniture department to a 10,000-square-foot store elsewhere in the mall.

"At Sears, you'll find that Kids & More merchandise is sharply priced," added Bozic. "We will become the value store among department stores, specialty stores and even the discounters." To us, value means high quality at everyday low prices."