KMART: STRIVING FOR A COMEBACK
COMPANY:
Kmart Corporation is facing a serious problem with regards to the problem of bankruptcy protection that had allowed it to continue its operation even though it had been delinquent on obligations of more than $4.7 billion owed to creditors, vendors and leaseholders. The bankruptcy< which was filed in January 2002 was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. retailing history and was the culmination of decades of poor strategy execution that resulted in an overall deterioration of Kmart's competitive position in the discount retail industry and a roller-coaster earning history.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
A. Employees
The concern of the company with regards to the attitude and performance of Kmart store managers and associates were adversely impacting shopper visits and loyalty. Hall brought all Kmart store managers meeting. The executive team made it clear that they intended to end Kmart's historically insular, turf-wary organizational culture and adopt a more team oriented atmosphere at both corporate headquarters and in the stores. The company announced its new management development program to help the company develop future store-level and corporate level managers from within its ranks.
The company is criticized for lack of concern in promoting sound management to ensure productivity and efficiency in the process.
B. Customer
It is sad to note that Kmart is unresponsive to customer service. A 1994 Forbes article cited customer complaints of indifferent Kmart employees who, when asked for a specific item in the store, would wave their hand in a general direction. One disgruntled shopper complained "At the superstores in Farmington Hills or Southfield, the help is su...
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...t system and poor supplies chain management The company is threatened by the financial losses and in its inability to remain liquid, solvent and profitable Opportunity for the company is big if it is able to deal with its finances and as well as its product lines.
2 The customers are the lifeblood of the business there is a need to improve its customer service Customer service are poor If customer service is not properly handled, then further losses would mean closure of the company There is a need to assess consumer preferences and choices in order to ensure customer satisfaction
3 Pricing should be low in cost but quality service Poor pricing strategies It is threatened by the problem of its competitor's strategy which gains competitive advantage Opportunity depends on its ability to remain liquid and solid in solving the problem.
siurce:company annual reports
The Corporation has sustained losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception. The Corporation is exposed to liquidity risk as it continues to have net cash outflows to support its operations.
With minimal aid from interviews with managers and no exposure to the marketing entity of the company, I was able to accomplish much of my findings related to the macro environment of Kohl’s through diligent online research. One of the major changes occurring in the retail industry is online shopping. Substitutes such as Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers are replacing the technically savvy shoppers from ever having to enter a store. Kohl’s competes with these outlets by remaining on the cutting edge of integrated technology to enhance the customer experience shopping their brand. They are currently testing multi-function tablets in jewelry and beauty departments that can be used to demonstrate
As you can see from the points above it is vital to give good customer
First, Nordstrom is unique through its excelling customer service. As a full-service retailer, Nordstrom assists customers in every phase of the shopping process. Because they carry more specialty goods, customers will need and want more assistance leading to increased value of customer service. One of their policies is that they will accept any merchandise that people bring back without asking any questions. As a result, people feel more confident about purchasing products from there, since they can buy something with the comfort and knowledge that Nordstrom has an excellent return
Kmart, contrarily, entered behind Wal-Mart as the second largest retailer in the United States after Sears’ reign. They, however, suffered a similar affliction to what felled Sears when Kmart ruled discount retail so heavily that they seemed almost unstoppable. However, with lack of solid knowledge on the business’ purpose and Wal-Mart as a strong competitor, there began a steep decline, along with Sears, that led to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (New York Times 2002).
Kmart's biggest problem is obviously the widespread of Wal-Mart all over the United States. They have to find a way to compete with Wal-Mart's regional distribution centers. These centers ensure the Wal-Mart customers that they are going to get the best product for the best price. Since Kmart does not have these centers they still need to pay all of the fees that deal with shipping and handling. Kmart needs to do something quick. In a recent survey 49% of people said that they would drive right past a Kmart to go to a Wal-Mart. The average Wal-Mart customer visits the store 32 times in a year, meanwhile the average Kmart customer only visits 15 times in a year. They have to be in financial trouble since they are getting pressure from vendors to pay their bills on time.
Read the short Kmart case study on pages 161-162 carefully and answer the following questions:
Kmart is a huge vintage company that had peeked at one time and now is
As revealed by the SWOT analysis earlier Kmart has potential to pull itself out of its current position of facing closure. In order to exploit opportunities and counter threats Kmart needs to build on these competencies to strengthen its position and counter internal weaknesses against the single largest industry threat - increased competition in a mature market.
This paper discusses the strategic problems that led to Kmart's poor performance. The first Kmart store was opened in Garden City, Michigan, in 1962 (the same year that Wal-Mart and Target began operations) by the S.S. Kresge Co., a five-and-dime chain that was founded at the turn of the 20th century in Detroit by Sebastian Spering Kresge. By the end of 1963 Kmart had 63 stores converted from Kresge's. By 1977, Kmart generated nearly all of Kresge's sales, and the company changed its name to Kmart Corp.
Kmart's main weakness was that it had an aspiration to be all things to all people – its dabblings in drug stores, home improvement stores, bookstores, cafeterias and specialty stores in the 1980s and early 1990s seemed to spread the company very thin. This focus on diversification is just one example of how the retailer has often not made the wisest choices when faced with a tight spot. By the 1980s, just before the rise of Wal-Mart, Kmart had become complacent. It believed it would be the king of discount retailing, now and forever.
In 1897 Sebastian Spering Kresge opened five-dime stores in Memphis and Detroit with John McCrorey as his partner. Two years later the partnership broke up and each person kept one city. Mr. Kresge kept the Detroit store and began expanding from there onward. In 1912 the company became incorporated as S.S. Kresge and was the 2nd largest dime store chain with 85 stores and annual sales of more than $10 million. In 1918 S.S Kresge was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Throughout the decades, Kresge rapidly expanded eventually opening the first Kmart store in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. By 1966 there were more 160 Kmart stores in the US and Canada. In 1968 Kmart began airing TV commercials. In the 1970s, Kmart continued to expand opening 270 stores in 1976 alone. In 1977, S.S. Kresge changed its name to Kmart because 95% of its sales were coming from that branch. In the 1980s and early 90s, Kmart diversified by adding other retailers such as Walden Book Company which was the number one bookstore chain in the US. The Sports Authority in 1990, 90% stake in OfficeMax and the Borders bookstore in 1992. Also in 1990 Kmart opened its first Kmart Super Center in Medina, Ohio. Whatever was left of the Kresge locations in the US was sold to S.S. Kresge's former partner's store chain McCrory's. Between 1994 and 1995 earnings began to fall for Kmart causing them to sell off their other operations, OfficeMax, The Sports Authority, PACE, Borders and its US automotive service Centers. Also in that time period, more than 200 US stores were closed. Fast forwarding to the future, Kmart launched www.bluelight.com which is now known as www.kmart.com in 1999. In 2002 Kmart filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which was the biggest retail bankruptcy i...
Understaffing, which often happens, and many calls from customers were left unanswered, led to the long-term decline in sales, as there was frustration among the customers. No rules and procedures in handling account and customer complaints showed that One. Tel was lacking in formalization in operation. One. Tel also did not run its divisions’ function properly.
Overtime, a combination of poor customer service, messy stores, and lengthy checkout processes have led to the failure of the Kmart and Sears merger. One-time loyal customers, who routinely shopped at these stores, no longer felt appreciated or that the organization desired their business. Since they no longer felt important, customer chose to give their business to more deserving competitors such as Target.
This has turned out to be a great spin for Kmart considering that they had bankruptcy issues less than a year earlier. Some complimented Kmart’s acquisition of Sears. The most positive look to opportunities to cut unnecessary administrative expenses, increase buying power and cross-sell well-known merchandise between Kmart and Sears. There are those who are very concerned about the acquisition. They are afraid that Wal-Mart, being their biggest competitor, will still be so much bigger than the combined Kmart and Sears.