Sears Hometown and Outlet Refreshes Appliance Retail Strategy

(Franchise Buy) - By . Updated Mar 25, 2015

Sears Hometown and Outlet Refreshes Appliance Retail Strategy

National Retailer Launches Major Campaign with Sears Hometown Stores; Locations to Undergo New Product Assortment, Redesigned Merchandising, Comprehensive Employee Training and More

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (March 25, 2015) – The appliance market landscape in America is changing, with customer research showing that brand name, quality and appearance are increasing in importance. Evolving to meet changing customer needs and to embrace its branding as “America’s Appliance Experts,” Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOS) announced today the reinvention of its appliance retail strategy at its store formats, starting with Sears Hometown Stores.

Beginning in March 2015, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. will begin a two-phase refresh of 51 Sears Hometown Stores across the United States, culminating in grand reopening celebrations April 23-25, 2015. The refresh includes a new product assortment, redesigned merchandising, new fixtures & signage, and comprehensive training for floor associates, among other changes. The Company’s CEO and President, Bruce Johnson said, “With improved selling floors and enhanced technologies, our customers will have a shopping experience unmatched by any of our competitors.”

In the new store design, appliances will occupy more than half of the sales floor and include more brands with an improved presentation. The stores will also focus its appliances on innovative and value-added products from Whirlpool®, Maytag®, KitchenAid®, Samsung and Kenmore®.

The new floor plan also includes the ability to showcase complete kitchen packages through the addition of three kitchen vignettes. This allows stores to display an entire four-piece kitchen from multiple brands in a small amount of floor space, making it easier for customers to choose products. Another new feature that simplifies the buying process is a designated laundry innovation area, showcasing multiple brands and innovations that lets customers easily explore the differences between the various product lines.

“This wasn’t just a change in how the store is laid out. We started more fundamentally by considering the needs of our customers, what we want to stand for and what it means to be America’s Appliance Experts,” said Will Powell, Chief Operating Officer, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. “We rethought the buying process from end-to-end and created a very unique and positive experience for our customers. America’s Appliance Experts incorporates all aspects of the customer experience, taking into account everything from comprehensive training on our brands to in store display and the use of technology in the sales process.”

Customers also benefit from a new touch-screen kiosk where they can work with a salesperson or browse on their own to explore product options or make purchases. In addition, the Company is providing industry-leading comprehensive training to store associates, including brand-specific selling certification. These brand certified sales associates incorporate tablets when helping customers to ensure they find the best product for their needs at the best possible price. With the tablet, associates and customers can review product features and benefits as well as various models from the entire online database of Sears Hometown products – all while browsing models around the sales floor.

“We are one of the first national retailers in rural America to integrate tablets into the sales process,” said John Sessoms, DVP, Merchandising & Assorting, Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores, Inc. “In some of our smaller square footage stores, we are unable to showcase the entire assortment of merchandise, so having this technology enables our associates and customers to view the wide range of products that we have available.”

The initial 51 Sears Hometown Stores to be transformed are located in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Texas and Vermont. To learn more about Sears Hometown Stores, visit www.searshometownstores.com. 

About Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOS) is a national retailer primarily focused on selling home appliances, lawn and garden equipment, tools and hardware. As of
January 31, 2015, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. and its dealers and franchisees operated 1,260 stores across all 50 states as well as in Puerto Rico and Bermuda.

In addition to merchandise, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. provides consumers with access to a full suite of services, including home delivery, installation and extended service contracts.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. operates through two segments—the Sears Hometown and Hardware segment and the Sears Outlet segment. The Sears Hometown and Hardware segment’s stores are designed to provide customers with in-store and online access to a wide selection of national brands of home appliances, lawn and garden equipment, tools, sporting goods and household goods, depending on the particular store. The Sears Outlet stores are designed to provide customers with in-store and online access to purchase new, one-of-a-kind, out-of-carton, discontinued, reconditioned, overstocked and scratched and dented products across a broad assortment of merchandise categories, including home appliances, apparel, mattresses, sporting goods, tools and lawn and garden equipment at prices that are significantly lower than list prices.

For more information contact: Jayne Levy, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, at 847-945-1300 or jlevy@fishmanpr.com or visit our corporate website at www.shos.com.