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For other uses, see Kmart (disambiguation).
For the Kmart store in Australia, see Kmart Australia.
Kmart Corporation
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
Founded1899; 125 years ago (1899) (legacy)
1912; 112 years ago (1912) (as S.S. Kresge Company, first incorporation)
1916; 108 years ago (1916) (as S.S. Kresge Company, second incorporation)
1962; 62 years ago (1962) (as a Kmart store)
1977; 47 years ago (1977) (renamed Kmart Corporation, simply known as Kmart)
Garden City, Michigan, United States
FounderS. S. Kresge
HeadquartersTroy, Michigan, United States (1962–2004)
Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States (2005–present)
Number of locations
365 (Q1 2018)[1]
Areas served
United States (all but 5 states), Puerto Rico, The U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam
ProductsClothing, shoes, linen and bedding, jewelry, beauty products, small electronics, toys, food.
RevenueUS$25.146 billion (2015 SHC)[2]
ParentSears Holdings Corporation (2005–present)
Websitewww.kmart.com

Kmart Corporation (simply known as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was incorporated in 1916 as S. S. Kresge Corporation and renamed to Kmart Corporation in 1977.[3] The first store with the Kmart name opened in 1962.[4] At its peak in 2000, Kmart operated 2,171 stores including 105 Super Kmart Center locations.[5] The chain’s management purchased Sears for $11 billion in 2004, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation; Kmart was transferred to the new Sears Holdings Corporation.[6] For the 2005 fiscal year under the new company, the Kmart store count was at 1,416 with only 55 Super Kmart Center locations.[7] By the third quarter of 2017, the Kmart store chain had 510 store locations (which now decreased to 365 after countless rounds of store closures announced proceeding Q3 of 2017 and Q1 of 2018). The last Super Kmart Center in Warren, Ohio closed on April 8, 2018. Kmart currently operates a very scarce number of stores in 45 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam[8] (which houses the world's largest Kmart).[9] Kmart formerly operated stores in Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and in Eastern Europe.

In popular culture, Kmart became known for its "Blue Light Specials." These occurred at surprise moments when a store worker would light up a mobile police light and offer a discount in a specific department of the store, while announcing the discounted special over the store's public address system. At the height of Kmart's popularity, the phrase "Attention, Kmart shoppers!" entered into the American pop psyche, appearing in films and other media such as Troop Beverly Hills, Six Days Seven Nights, Rain Man, Beetlejuice, Madea Goes to Jail, and Dawn of the Dead.

Kmart's world headquarters were located in Troy, Michigan, in Metro Detroit. Subsequent to the completion of the purchase of Sears, headquarters have been located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. An independent entity calling itself Kmart operates in Australia and New Zealand (see Kmart Australia) but it no longer has any relation to the American stores except in name.

History

Early years

S. S. Kresge, the founder of the company that would become Kmart, met variety store pioneer Frank Winfield Woolworth while working as a traveling salesman and selling to all 19 of Woolworth's stores at the time.[10] In 1897 Kresge invested $6,700 saved from his job into a five-and-dime store in Memphis, Tennessee. He jointly owned the first store with his former tinware customer, John McCrory.[11] Kresge and McCrory added a second store in downtown Detroit the following year. These were the first S.S. Kresge stores.[12][13][14] After two years of partnership, he traded McCrory his share in the Memphis store, plus $3,000, for full ownership of the Detroit store, and formed the Kresge & Wilson Company with his brother-in-law, Charles J. Wilson.[13][14]

1940s postcard of Kresge store in Springfield, Massachusetts

In 1912, Kresge incorporated the S.S. Kresge Company in Delaware with eighty-five stores. In 1916, Kresge incorporated a new S.S. Kresge Company in Michigan and took over the operations of the original company; the new company in Michigan is the modern day Kmart company. The company was first listed on the New York Stock Exchange on May 23, 1918. During World War I, Kresge experimented with raising the limit on prices in his stores to $1. By 1924, Kresge was worth approximately $375 million and owned real estate of the approximate value of $100 million.[15][better source needed] Growth early in the 20th Century remained brisk, with 257 stores in 1924, rising to 597 stores by 1929. Kresge retired as president in 1925. The Great Depression reduced profitability and resulted in store closings, with the number reduced to 682 in 1940. After the war, shopping patterns changed and many customers moved out of the cities into the suburbs. The Kresge Company followed them and closed and merged many urban stores; by 1954, the total number of stores in the US had declined to 616.

1960s–1970s

Garden City Kmart, which closed in 2017.
Kmart's original logo used until 1990. This logo was also used by Kmart Australia from 1969 until 1991.
The Kmart Foods logo used during the 1960s.

Under the leadership of executive Harry Cunningham, S.S. Kresge Company opened the first Kmart named store on March 1, 1962, in Garden City, Michigan,[4] just four months before the first Walmart opened. This store is no longer in operation as of March 2017. Eighteen Kmart stores opened that year. Kmart Foods, a now-defunct chain of Kmart supermarkets, opened in that decade. Though the store chain continued to open Kmart branded stores, the store chain was still officially called S.S. Kresge Company.

Company founder Kresge died on October 18, 1966.[16]

Around the time of the opening of the first Kmart, some poorly performing S.S. Kresge stores were converted to a new "Jupiter Discount Stores" brand, which was conceived as a bare-bones, deep discount outfit. During the 1970s, Kmart put a number of competing retailers out of business. Kresge, Jupiter and Kmart stores mainly competed with other store chains like Zayre, Ames, Bradlees, Hills, and those that were operated by MMG-McCrory Stores (McCrory, McLellan, H.L. Green, J.J. Newberry, S.H. Kress, TG&Y, Silver's and eventually G.C. Murphy Co.). In 1977, S.S. Kresge Company changed its name to K Mart Corporation.

1980s

In 1980, Vice Chairman Bernard M. Fauber was elected as the Chairman and as the CEO of Kmart.

In 1981, the 2,000th Kmart store opened. By the end of 1981, there were 2,055 Kmart stores across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

In 1987, the Kmart Corporation sold its remaining 76 Kresge and Jupiter stores in the United States to McCrory Stores,[17] and the brands were almost entirely discontinued, although Canadian Kresge and Jupiter stores continued to operate until 1994.

Kmart experimented with co-branding in 1985, when the in-store cafeteria at the store in Canton, Michigan, was converted to a Wendy's.[18][19][failed verification]

Until November 1990, when it was passed by Walmart, Kmart was the second largest retailer in the United States, after Sears.[20] During the 1980s, the company's fortunes began to change; many of Kmart's stores were considered to be outdated and in decaying condition. In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the corporate office shifted much of its focus from the Kmart stores to other companies it had acquired or created, such as Sports Authority, Builders Square, and Waldenbooks.

The original Blue Light Special, first introduced in 1965,[21] was retired in 1991.[22] The company brought back the Blue Light Special in 2001, but again discontinued it in 2002. The concept was briefly revived in 2005, though Kmart at that time had no plans to use the concept long-term.[23] Blue Light Specials were revived again in 2009 on Saturdays, offering surprise hour-long sales on selected merchandise, but were discontinued again. Blue Light Specials were revived once again in November 2015.[21]

1990–2001: New image

The exterior of the first Super Kmart Center store in Medina, Ohio as it appears after its closure

In 1990, in an effort to update its image, Kmart introduced a new logo. It dropped the old-style italic "K" with a turquoise "mart" in favour of a red block letter K with the word "mart" written in script and contained inside the "K". Kmart then began remodeling stores shortly thereafter. This logo was replaced in 2004 with the current logo. In 1990, Little Caesars Pizza Station opened its first in-store Kmart restaurant in Rochester, Michigan.[24] Coincidentally, both Little Caesars and Kmart were founded in Garden City, Michigan in 1959 and 1962 respectively. In 1995, Kmart also tried to reinvent itself by using the short-lived name Today's Kmart.[25]

In 1991, the company changes its pronunciation to Kmart Corporation.[clarification needed][citation needed]

In 1992, Kmart entered the Eastern European market with the purchase of 13 stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. These stores were later sold off in 1996.

The company also began to offer exclusive merchandise by Martha Stewart, Kathy Ireland, Jaclyn Smith, Lauren Hutton, and Thalía. Other recognizable brands included exclusively licensed merchandising of products relating to Sesame Street and Disney. Actress and television personality Rosie O'Donnell and actor/director and producer Penny Marshall became among the company's most recognized spokespersons.[26]

Kmart's red classic logo (1990–2004).
The Super Kmart Center logo that was used primarily in the early 1990s, but was also used for some stores that opened in 2001. This logo was also used on the former Super Kmart Center stores in Mexico during the 1990s.

Super Kmart Center (Super Kmart) opened an all-new location in 1991 in Medina, Ohio, featuring a full-service grocery and general merchandise.[27] However, this location was downsized in 2011 and was one of a number of Kmarts closed in early 2012 due to dismal Christmas 2011 sales.[28] The second ground-up Super Kmart Center opened in Montrose, Ohio, featuring an in-store video rental center, and an in-store carryout Chinese restaurant.[29] This location has also closed.[30] the last Super Kmart Center in Warren OH closed on April 8, 2018.[31]

File:Big Kmart Logo.png
Big Kmart logo, this logo is one of the most common logos on Kmart stores.

Big Kmart opened in Chicago, Illinois, on April 23, 1997.[32] The format focuses on home fashions, children's apparel, and consumables (The Pantry).[30] Most Kmart stores were remodeled to this format during the late 1990s and the early 2000s. During 1997 and 1998, Kmart converted 1,245 of their regular Kmart stores into Big Kmart stores. Initially, the Big Kmart stores had proven to be very successful, and by the end of 1997, Kmart had seen their sales numbers grow by 10% due to success of their Big Kmart stores. In 1998, Kmart acquired 45 former Venture stores and converted them into Big Kmart stores.[33] By the end of 1998, 62% of Kmart's stores were Big Kmart stores. Kmart later converted nearly 1,900 of their regular Kmart stores into Big Kmart stores in 1999. By the end of 1999, Kmart had yet again seen another increase in sales numbers by 6.5% due to the success of their Big Kmart stores.[citation needed]

The Sports Authority was acquired by Kmart in 1990 and spun-off 5 years later.

Kmart's profitability and sales peaked in 1992, and have since declined due to competition with Walmart, Target, and internet shopping.[3] In 1994, Kmart closed 110 stores.[34] Unlike its competitors Walmart and Target, Kmart failed to invest in computer technology to manage its supply chain. Furthermore, Kmart maintained a high dividend, which reduced the amount of money that was available for improving its stores. Many business analysts also faulted the company for failing to create a coherent brand image.

In September 1995, Kmart sold its money losing in-store auto repair centers to Penske Corporation for $112 million to operate them as Penske Auto Centers.[35][36] Penske later closed the auto repair centers in 2002 as a result of a payment dispute with Kmart.[37][38]

In 1997, Kmart launched the Kmart Cash Card as a replacement for the paper gift certificates and facilitate the return process.[39]

The second Super Kmart logo, used primarily on stores that were built from 1998 to 2000.

In July 1999, Kmart hired SuperValu and Fleming to distribute $3.9 billion worth of food and other related products to all Kmart stores.[40]

From 1999 to 2000, Kmart opened 20 new Big Kmart stores, converted 12 regular Kmart stores into Super Kmart Center stores, and opened 5 new Super Kmart Center stores. Kmart also converted 150 regular Kmart stores into Big Kmart stores during the first half of 2000.[citation needed]

In 2000, Kmart and Capital One launched an all-new co-branded MasterCard as a replacement for the private label Kmart credit cards.[41]

Also in 2000, Kmart had expanded the Martha Stewart Everyday Garden Collection to include live plants and seeds.[42] Kmart also launched the Martha Stewart Everyday Kitchen, which is a complete line of housewares essentials.[43]

In July 2000, Kmart closed 72 underperforming stores due to poor sales,[44] and the company announced that they were planning on a major restructuring process, in which Kmart would invest in new customer check-out and new inventory management technology and other related systems as well.[45]

In 2001, Kmart had opened several new Kmart Super Center stores as part of Kmart's plan to expand their Kmart Super Center store portfolio, along with Kmart trying to make groceries available at stores as well.[46] However, due to Kmart filing for bankruptcy in January 2002, Kmart was unable to open any more new Kmart Super Center stores, and any of the Kmart Super Center stores that were under construction during Kmart's 2002 bankruptcy were halted, no matter how close the stores were to completion.

In 2001, Kmart signed a $4.5 billion arrangement with Fleming, making them the sole food and consumables distributor for the company's stores.[47]

In February 2001, Japanese video game company Sega sued Kmart for failure to pay $2.2 million of $25.9 million for Sega Dreamcast game systems.[48].

In August 2001, Target sued Kmart because of the company's "Dare to Compare" advertising campaign inaccurately compared its own prices with those of Target a majority of the time on in-store signs.[49]

2002–2009: Collapse and merger with Sears

Kmart's lime green logo that was only used at five prototype locations in 2002.

On January 22, 2002, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection under the leadership of its then-chairman Charles Conaway and president Mark Schwartz.[50][51] Conaway, who had success building up the CVS Corporation, accepted an offer to take the helm at Kmart along with a loan of $5 million (equivalent to $8.47 million in 2024). In a scandal similar to that involving Enron, Conaway and Schwartz were accused of misleading shareholders and other company officials about the company's financial crisis while making millions and allegedly spending the company's money on airplanes, houses, boats and other luxuries. At a conference for Kmart employees on January 22, Conaway accepted "full blame" for the financial disaster. As Kmart emerged from bankruptcy, Conaway was forced to step down, and was asked to pay back all the loans he had taken.

After dismissing Conaway and Schwartz, Kmart closed more than 300 stores in the U.S., including all the Kmart stores in Alaska, and laid off around 34,000 workers as part of the restructuring process.[52] Kmart introduced five prototype stores with a new logo, layout, and lime green and gray color scheme, one in White Lake, Michigan, and four in central Illinois: (Peoria, Pekin, Morton and Washington). The new layout was touted as having wider aisles and improved selection and lighting, and the city or town's name was featured under the new Kmart logo at the front entrance. However, Kmart could not afford a full-scale rollout.[53] The lime green prototype was abandoned for the new Kmart "Orange" concept that rolled out at several of its locations throughout the United States in 2006.

While Kmart was going through its bankruptcy, a significant amount of Kmart's outstanding debt was purchased by ESL Investments, a hedge fund controlled by Edward Lampert. Lampert worked to accelerate the bankruptcy process.[citation needed]

On January 13, 2003, Kmart closed 326 stores due to a lack of profitability and poor sales.[54]

On May 6, 2003 Kmart emerged from bankruptcy protection as a subsidiary of the new Kmart Holding Corporation. On June 10, 2003, Kmart began trading on the NASDAQ stock market with the ticker symbol of KMRT with Lampert serving as the chairman and with ESL Investments controlling 53% of the new company for an investment of less than $1 billion.[55][56] Lampert dismissed his concerns that the smaller company would be at a disadvantage, stating "The focus that a lot of people have in retail revolves around sales, but sales without profit do not allow a business to be successful in the long term."[57] He began to improve the company's balance sheet by reducing inventory, cutting costs, and closing underperforming stores. By the fourth quarter of 2003, Kmart posted its first profitable quarter in three years, although it has since returned to an operating loss.

On August 12, 2004, Kmart and E! Entertainment Television had both announced that an all-new exclusive cross-promotional alliance clothing brand called Attention. Attention was launched as an all-new clothing brand that would be only sold at Kmart stores and would be used to promote E! News Live.[58] Kmart had previous signed a similar deal with the WB Network to have the cast of five WB shows wear Kmart branded clothing during shows.[59]

On November 8, 2004, Kmart launched the Kmart Rewards credit card that is managed by HSBC Bank.[60]

Current Kmart logo (2004–present)
The third Super Kmart logo spelled out as Kmart Supercenter (2005-2018)
File:KDollar Logo.jpg
The KDollar logo (November 2004 – 2012).

On November 17, 2004, Kmart’s management announced its intention to purchase Sears for $11 billion.[55] As a part of the merger, the Kmart Holding Corporation (the company that owns Kmart) would be transferred to the new Sears Holdings Corporation and Sears would be purchased by the new Sears Holdings Corporation. The new corporation announced that it would continue to operate stores under both the Sears and Kmart brands.[61] Around this time, Kmart changed its logo from a red K with the script "mart" inside to a red block letter K with the chain's name in lowercase letters below it. Kmart's headquarters were relocated to Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and in 2012 the sprawling headquarters complex in Troy, Michigan, was acquired by the Forbes Company, which owns the nearby upscale mall, Somerset Collection.[62] No concrete plans for redevelopment of the site had been announced. In 2005, Sears Holdings Corporation introduced the Sears Essentials store format, which was supposed be like a Sears store and a Kmart store mixed together. Sears Essentials stores were also freestanding (not located at a shopping mall) store. In 2006, the company discontinued the Sears Essentials name, and renamed all of the Sears Essentials stores as Sears Grand stores.[63]

Kmart started remodeling stores to the "Orange" prototype in 2005.[64] In 2006, the typical white and blue interior of the stores was changed to orange and brown, and shelf heights were lowered to create better sightlines. The remodeled stores contain an appliance department with Kenmore Appliances and most have hardware departments that sell Craftsman tools, which prior to the merger had been exclusive to Sears stores.[65] Some auto centers left vacant by Penske after Kmart filed for bankruptcy had been converted to Sears Auto Centers.[66] 280 stores as of 2009 had been remodeled to this new prototype.[citation needed]

In July 2009, Sears Holdings opened its first Sears-branded appliance store inside a Kmart.[67] The 4,000 sq ft (370 m2) store-within-a-store opened inside the former garden department of a Birmingham, Alabama, Kmart. It is two-thirds the size of the appliance department in most Sears stores, but larger than the 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) appliance department in remodeled Kmart stores.

In October 2009, it was reported that Kmart and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia failed to come to a new agreement. This came after Stewart made remarks on CNBC that her line at Kmart had deteriorated, particularly after the Sears merger.[68]

In November 2009, Kmart reported its first year-over-year sales increase of 0.5% since 2005, and only the second such increase since 2001.[69]

2010–present: Continued decline

In 2010, Kmart closed 22 underperforming stores due to poor sales and a large amount of loss in profitability.[citation needed] During the first quarter of 2011, Kmart closed 35 more stores due to low profitability and poor sales.[citation needed]

On December 27, 2011, after a disastrous holiday sales season, Sears Holdings announced that 100 to 120 of Sears/Kmart stores would liquidate.[70]

In 2014, news reports indicated that Kmart was liquidating dozens of stores across the United States.[71] Kmart's parent company Sears Holdings Corporation underwent financial distress throughout the year, sparking an unspecified number of closings to Sears and Kmart locations amid vendors and lenders concerns about its liquidity.[72] Along with store closings, measures included the spinning off its Lands' End division, selling most of its stake in Sears Canada, issuing debt and taking on loans that cumulatively put it on track to raise $1.445 billion in cash in 2014.[72] Howard Riefs, a company spokesman who has often spoken on behalf of Kmart, has said, "Store closures are part of a series of actions we're taking to reduce on-going expenses, adjust our asset base and accelerate the transformation of our business model."[73][74]

On October 10, 2014, Kmart was victim of a data breach concerning customers' credit and debit card information.[75] Kmart confirmed on October 19, "Based on the forensic investigation to date, no personal information, no debit card PIN numbers, no email addresses and no social security numbers were obtained by those criminally responsible. There is also no evidence that kmart.com customers were impacted. This data breach has been contained and the malware has been removed. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our members and customers."[76]

Located in Greenwich, NY
A smaller Big Kmart located in Greenwich, New York. (Open as of 2017)

In January 2015, Kmart agreed to pay $102,048 and other consideration to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability discrimination lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, Kmart offered a job at its Hyattsville, Maryland, store to a candidate with kidney disease on dialysis. The candidate advised the hiring manager that he could not provide a urine sample for the company's mandatory pre-employment drug screening because of his medical condition, and requested a reasonable accommodation such as a blood test or other drug test that did not require a urine sample; Kmart had refused to provide an alternative test and denied the candidate employment.[77]

In April 2016, Kmart announced that it was liquidating 68 stores.[78] The chain announced in September 2016 that 64 more stores in 28 states would close by mid-December 2016.[79]

In December 2016, at least 25 Kmart locations were targeted for liquidation in early 2017.[80][81][82]

In January 2017, Kmart announced that 78 more stores would liquidate, including the first Kmart location in Garden City, MI.[83] In May 2017, Kmart announced an additional 18 stores would liquidate.[84] Sears Holdings themselves revealed uncertainties as to if both Sears and Kmart would survive. [85] In early June 2017, Kmart announced an additional 49 stores across the U.S. were planned to be shuttered by September 2017.[86] Financial analysts are now warning that the fate of Sears Holdings is nearing its end.[87] However, Sears Holdings CEO Eddie Lampert stated in October 2016 that there are no plans or have ever been plans to close the Kmart format and that they are working hard to make it a "more fun, engaging place to shop, powered by our integrated retail innovations and Shop Your Way". [88] In early July 2017, Kmart had announced that 35 more stores would close by early October 2017.[89] In late August 2017, Kmart announced another 28 store closures. The sole Rhode Island location in Cranston is among those 28 store closures, removing all Kmarts from the state of Rhode Island. [90] On October 11, 2017, with no liquidation sale held, the Kmart store in Santa Rosa, California was apparently burnt down and destroyed due to massive wildfires in the Bay Area, adding to the list of closed stores.[91] On October 17, 2017, Kmart announced the liquidation sales of several locations by late November, but has not disclosed the exact amount of closing locations.[92]

On November 3, 2017, it was announced that 45 Kmarts (along with 18 Sears stores) were set to liquidate as part of another series of closings effective by January 2018, including Kmart's last store in Alabama, in Albertville.[93][94] This marked the removal of all Kmart stores in Alabama.

According to Fortune.com, Kmart, along with sister company Sears, did not run any television advertisements during the 2017 holiday season to focus on digital marketing and after evaluating the effectiveness of its various marketing efforts.[95] On January 4, 2018, after yet another disappointing holiday sales season Kmart announced that 64 more stores will liquidate in the spring of 2018. This includes Kmart's only remaining Super Kmart location in Warren, Ohio, which is officially discontinuing the Super Kmart format.[96] According to MSN Money, at this rate, Kmart, along with sister company Sears, has an extremely high chance of disappearing and going defunct in 2018, and that 2017 will have marked its final holiday season as an independent brand.[97]

On March 15, 2018, Sears Holdings announced a small profit was made in its fourth quarter of 2017.[98] However, investors are claiming that is due to tax refunds and sales are still falling for both Kmart and Sears.[99] On March 26, 2018; CEO Eddie Lampert himself said, "I'm not sure Kmart on its own could ever be a great retailer," stating the notion that the company is eagerly trying to shift to online shopping as opposed to brick and mortar stores.[100]

On April 12, 2018, Sears announced plans to close and auction 16 of its stores under the Sears Brand, and close several more Kmart locations, but declined to tell on the exact amount in this round of closures. Two known locations on the list include Kmart stores in Brandon, Florida, and Saugus, Massachusetts.[101] In early May, Sears announced the closures of several more Kmarts, including the last Kmart in Vermont, in Bennington.[102] meaning Kmart will also remove all its stores in the state of Vermont.

On May 21, 2018, Sears Holdings announced yet another round of liquidation sales for both Sears and Kmart stores across 24 states to a combined total of 40 stores.[103] These stores are expected to close by July 4, 2018.

On May 31, 2018, Sears Holdings announced the closing of an additional 63 Sears and Kmart stores, 15 Kmart stores and 48 Sears stores[104]. Also with this round of closings, it was revealed that Kmart will also remove all of their stores in Hawaii, now leaving Kmart extinct in a total of 5 states. [105]

Corporate affairs

Headquarters

The Kresge Corporation headquarters from 1914 to 1930 (currently named the Kales Building) in downtown Detroit

The owner of Kmart, Sears Holdings Corporation, has had its headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois just outside of Chicago since 1993 when it moved out of the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago.[106] Kmart has been in the Hoffman Estates Headquarters since Kmart bought Sears in 2004.

The headquarters were formerly located in the Kmart International Headquarters at 3100 W. Big Beaver Road in Troy, Michigan in Metro Detroit.[107][108] The facility had 23 interconnected modules. Each had three stories, except for one module, which was one story. Based on the layout, Norm Sinclair of DBusiness concluded that it was "a study in inefficiency".[107]

Subsidiaries

Current

Big Kmart store in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, December 2012
  • Kmart is a chain of discount department stores that are usually free-standing or located in strip malls. They carry compact discs (CDs), DVDs, TV shows on DVD, electronics, bedding, household hardware, sporting goods, clothing, toys, jewelry, office supplies, health and beauty products, over-the-counter medications, home decor, and a limited selection of food items. Many stores also have a garden center, a Jackson Hewitt tax center, a pharmacy, and usually a K-Cafe or a deli serving Nathan's Hot Dogs and pizza. Kmart stores range from 80,000–110,000 sq ft (7,400–10,200 m2). Most of them were either converted to or rebranded as Big Kmart while some were converted into Super Kmart stores.
A Little Caesars in a Kmart in Hollywood, Florida in August 2013
A Super Kmart Center store in Lorain, Ohio in February 2013. This store has closed as of September 18, 2016
A Super Kmart Center store with Super Kmart signage in Southgate, Michigan in July 2014. As indicated through the banner, this store began a liquidation sale on that month, and eventually closed on October 12, 2014
  • Big Kmart is a chain of discount department stores that carries everything a regular Kmart carries, but with an emphasis on home decor, children's clothing, and more food items such as meat and poultry, baked goods, frozen foods and an extended, but limited section of garden produce. Big Kmart stores range from 84,000–120,000 sq ft (7,800–11,100 m2). Big Kmart stores also featured a garden center, a pharmacy, a branch of a local bank, a Jackson Hewitt tax center, an Olan Mills portrait studio, an arcade, a K-Café or Little Caesars Pizza Station, and sometimes a Kmart express gas station. As noted above, Kmart introduced the Big Kmart brand company-wide when it was introduced in 1997. Some Big Kmart locations were either closed or converted to normal Kmart stores.

Former

  • K-Café was an in-store dining restaurant that serves a fairly standard menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and such other sandwiches as grilled cheese and Philly cheesesteaks. They also offered a full breakfast menu of baked goods, bagels and egg platters with bacon or sausage and such snacks as nachos, pretzels, popcorn and ice cream. In addition to the cafe's menu, hot food items could also be purchased at the deli and eaten in the Deli Cafe at Super Kmart Center stores. However, K-Café has been discontinued in almost all of their stores.[when?] Most restaurants that were located at Super Kmart Center stores were instead known as Super K-Café.
A Kmart location in Redwood City, California in August 2016
A Kmart Express gas station in Cleveland, Ohio in February 2013
  • Kmart Express was a chain of gas stations/convenience stores that were located in out-parcels at some Kmart and Super Kmart stores, particularly in the Midwestern U.S. In the early 2000s there were plans to expand this concept to most Kmart stores, but the plans for more locations were canceled after Kmart's bankruptcy in 2002.
  • Kmart Dental was an in-store dental office that is located in Kmart stores. There was only one such prototype in a Kmart store, located in Miami, Florida.
  • American Fare was a chain of hypermarkets that opened in January 1989. American Fare was a joint venture between Kmart (which owned 51 percent), and Birmingham, Alabama-based Bruno's Supermarkets. The first store opened near Atlanta, Georgia. American Fare's 244,000 sq ft (22,700 m2) of retail space included 74,550 sq ft (6,926 m2) of groceries, 104,000 sq ft (9,700 m2) of general merchandise, and 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) of clothing (including apparel, footwear, and accessories). An area in the front of the store housed a music and video store, a food court, bank, hair salon, pharmacy and a card store. Charlotte, North Carolina, was home to the second American Fare, which opened in late 1989 with 160,000 sq ft (15,000 m2) of retail space. A third and final store opened in Jackson, Mississippi. In June 1992, Bruno's announced that its partnership with the Kmart Corporation was being terminated, and that Kmart would assume ownership of the three stores. The Charlotte, NC store was converted to Super Kmart and then closed in 2002.[109] The American Fare brand is used on some Kmart store brand consumable products.
  • Builders Square was a home improvement superstore. In 1997, it was sold to Hechinger, which went out of business in 1999.
  • Borders Books was a chain of bookstores acquired by Kmart in 1992. In 1994, Borders merged with the Kmart chain Waldenbooks to form Borders-Walden Group, which was sold in 1995. In February 2011, Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced plans to liquidate in July after failing to find a buyer to keep the chain's remaining 399 stores in operation. The remaining stores closed in September.
  • Designer Depot: A discount clothing store chain operated in Metro Detroit in the 1980s.[110]
  • Kmart Chef restaurants were a small chain of free-standing fast-food restaurants owned by Kmart, started in 1967 with the first location on the parking lot of a Kmart in Pontiac, Michigan. The "limited, high-turnover menu" (as Kmart founder S.S. Kresge put it) consisted of fast foods such as burgers, French fries, hot dogs, and soft drinks. The Kmart Chef chain folded in 1974 after peaking at eleven locations.[111]
  • Kmart Food Stores was a supermarket chain founded in 1962. Most Kmart Food locations were together with Kmart stores, often operated by a local grocery chain but always branded as Kmart Food. The chain was discontinued in the early 1980s.
  • KDollar was a chain of discount stores/dollar stores that sold Kmart merchandise at a discount. The stores are often former Kmart or Big Kmart stores that have been converted to the KDollar concept. Sears Brands filed for a trademark on the KDollar name on November 6, 2012.[112] The first one opened in a former regular Kmart store in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 2013.[113] A second KDollar store opened in Waukegan, Illinois.
  • Kwash was an attached to store laundromat launched in May 2010. Only one such prototype exists. It is in a former auto bay in Iowa City, Iowa. It features a separate entrance, laundromat attendants and free wi-fi along with a limited selection of laundry goods available for purchase. The Kwash closed along with the Kmart in 2017.[114]
  • Super Kmart Center was a chain of superstores that carried everything a regular Kmart carries, but also had a full grocery section with meat and poultry, baked goods, a delicatessen, garden produce, and fresh seafood. Kmart Super Centers ranged from 140,000 to 190,000 sq ft (13,000 to 18,000 m2). A few stores that were built in the late 1990s were known instead as Super Kmart. Super Kmart Center stores also featured a garden center, a video rental store, a branch of a local bank, an arcade, a portrait studio, a Jackson Hewitt tax center, a pharmacy, and usually a deli cafe or Little Caesars Pizza Station. Many of these services were closed and discontinued in recent years. Several locations also included Kmart Express gas stations, and most had an auto center. Most Kmart Super Centers were closed during the two rounds of closures in 2002 and 2003, and many had their groceries taken out, converting them into regular Kmart locations.[115] A typical Super Center sold around $30 million of merchandise during one fiscal year. In 2015, some stores were converted into a regular Kmart with a concept called K-Fresh. These stores feature an expanded pantry and a fresh food department, though these types of items are no longer prepared on-site and instead are prepackaged. In addition, the deli, butcher and bakery operations were shut down. Kmart gradually closed its Super Kmart stores, with the last remaining location in Warren, Ohio closing on April 8, 2018.
  • Makro, a Dutch warehouse club chain, opened locations in the U.S. in the late 1980s. Kmart bought the chain's entire American holdings in 1989, having owned a 49 percent share before.[116] The Makro stores were later converted to Pace or closed in 1990.[117]
  • OfficeMax is a chain selling office supplies and office furniture which was acquired in 1991 and sold in 1995. It was acquired by Office Depot in 2013.
  • Office Square was a chain selling office supplies and office furniture which was a spin-off of Builders Square. In 1991, OfficeMax was acquired by Kmart and Office Square was merged into OfficeMax stores.
  • Pace Membership Warehouse was Kmart's warehouse club brand, until the chain was purchased by Walmart. In 1993, Walmart converted most of the stores into its Sam's Club brand, and sold others to chains such as Bradlees.
  • PayLess Drugs was a chain of drug stores acquired by Kmart in 1985[118] and later sold to TCH Corporation in 1994.[119] The resulting entity, Thrifty PayLess was acquired by Rite Aid in 1996, which converted all of the PayLess and Thrifty stores into Rite Aid stores in 1999. The PayLess division also owned Bi-Mart, which was spun off along with sister stores such as Pay 'n Save.
  • The Sports Authority was a chain of sporting goods stores which was acquired in 1990 and sold in 1995. Sports Authority went out of business in 2016.
  • U-Pak was a "no frills" supermarket which sold items out of boxes instead of on shelves, and featured reduced hours. The only one opened adjacent to a Kmart on Opdyke Boulevard in Pontiac, Michigan in 1979 and closed less than a month later due to poor sales.[120]
  • Variety Outlet. A closeout chain, typically operated out of closed Kmart stores. The first opened in Rome, Georgia in 1994.[121][122]
  • Waldenbooks was a chain consisting primarily of shopping mall-based book stores which was acquired in 1984. In 1994, Kmart chain Borders merged with Waldenbooks to form Borders-Walden Group, which was sold in 1995. (The company was subsequently renamed Borders Group, and went out of business in 2011.)
  • BlueLight internet service In 1999 Kmart began offering a dial-up internet service called BlueLight, which was eventually spun off as an independent company. BlueLight was initially free and supported by banner ads. BlueLight dropped the free service in February 2001 and was reacquired by Kmart in July 2001. In 2002 United Online, which also owns NetZero and Juno, bought the BlueLight service after Kmart filed for bankruptcy. In August 2006, Bluelight dropped the banners. In August 2006, the service cost $14.95 a month and had around 165,000 subscribers.

Philanthropy

Kmart for Kids is the umbrella program for Kmart's philanthropic initiatives. The program helps children across the country live happier, healthier lives through the support of: March of Dimes, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and American Diabetes Association.[123] Kmart is March of Dimes' number 1 corporate sponsor, having raised $114 million for the charity over more than 30 years.[124][125]

On July 29, 2008, Don Germano, SVP/GM of Kmart stores, was elected to a five-year term on the national Board of Trustees of the March of Dimes Foundation.[126]

Kmart for Kids supports St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital through its annual Thanks and Giving campaign, an opportunity for Kmart customers to give thanks for the healthy children in their lives and give to help those who are not. Kmart has been a partner of the campaign since 2006 and as of December 2008 had raised more than $59.2 million (equivalent to $83.8 million in 2024) for St. Jude's.[127] A record $21.9 million (equivalent to $28.6 million in 2024) was donated for the tenth annual fundraising campaign during the 2013 holiday season.[128]

In 2008, Kmart earned the "Outstanding Corporate Citizen" Award for its support of the American Diabetes Association's "Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes" program.[129] The tribute honors Kmart for the most well-developed, proactive program in the areas of charity, community Development, Diversity, philanthropy, and associate development. In 2008 Kmart became a national sponsor of "Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes" and over the past two years, Kmart's customers and associates have raised approximately $1.5 million (equivalent to $2.27 million in 2024) through its in-store campaigns.

Environmental record

On May 9, 2007, Kmart was penalized $102,422 (equivalent to $150,502 in 2024) for violations of federal hazardous waste, clean water, emergency planning and preparation regulations at 17 distribution centers.[130] Kmart corrected the violations by preparing and implementing spill prevention control and countermeasure plans, applying for appropriate storm water permits, complying with hazardous waste generator requirements, and submitting reports to state and local emergency planning and response organizations informing them of the presence of hazardous substances.[131] The Environmental Protection Agency also accused Kmart of not maintaining adequate information and failing to act in accordance with hazardous waste storage and disposal requirements.[132] For instance, the EPA reported having discovered improperly labeled oil storage drums at a location in Falls, Pennsylvania.[132]

Out of concern for the environment, Kmart promoted battery recycling.[133] In 1990, Kmart even proposed spending about $80 million (equivalent to $187 million in 2024) on full-page newspaper advertisements offering to recycle junk batteries for $2 (equivalent to $5.00 in 2024) each.[134]

In 2012, Kmart and Sears began allowing customers who are members of their Shop Your Way Rewards program to receive receipts by e-mail, eliminating paper waste and cutting down on the usage of ink.[135]

Animal welfare concerns

In 2012, Mercy for Animals, a non-profit organization working against cruelty to farmed animals, conducted an infiltration at Christensen Farms, a pork supplier to Kmart, Walmart, and Costco, obtaining hidden-camera footage of pigs confined in small gestation crates and cruelty to piglets.[136] In response to Mercy For Animals' infiltration, Kmart announced it would begin requiring its pork suppliers to phase out gestation crates.[137]

Racing sponsorships

Kmart was a prominent sponsor in NASCAR and the now defunct CART series. They were a longtime sponsor of Newman/Haas Racing, owned by actor Paul Newman and former racer Carl Haas. Their CART drivers included Nigel Mansell and the father-son duo of Michael and Mario Andretti. Michael Andretti and Mansell won championships under Kmart sponsorship, in 1991 and 1993, respectively. The store also sponsored the NASCAR-sanctioned Kmart 400 at Michigan and North Carolina Speedway. Lake Speed garnered Kmart's first win in NASCAR in 1988 at the Darlington Raceway. Kmart sponsored three-time champion Darrell Waltrip in 1999 and 2000, his last two full-time seasons. Most recently, in NASCAR, the store sponsored Boris Said's #60 No Fear Ford Fusion in 2006.[138][139]

International

Canada

Kmart was also once a major presence in Canada, with its first Kresge store opening in 1929. Kmart closed 5 Montreal stores and several other Quebec stores in 1983 due to the company restructuring.[citation needed] Kresge ceased to exist in Canada in 1994.[140] In December 1997, it was announced that 10 out of the existing 122 stores were to be closed.[141] However, as a result of Kmart's ongoing financial difficulties, the Canadian division comprising 112 stores was sold to competitor Zellers of the Hudson's Bay Company in May 1998,[142] after which the stores were either closed or converted to Hudson's Bay Company brands, mostly Zellers.[143]

Former Kmart Store in Bayers Lake, Canada shown in 1994.
File:Kmart Canada Logo.gif
Kmart Canada logo used from 1990 to 1998

Slogans

  • The Saving Place 1960s-1990
  • Your Lowest Price is a Kmart Price 1990–1998

Australia and New Zealand

Main article: Kmart Australia

The first Kmart in Australia opened in 1969 in Burwood East, Victoria; the site was renovated in 2010 to be a shopping mall known as Burwood One.[144]

Kmart Australia logo

Kmart Australia was born out of a joint venture between G.J. Coles & Coy Limited (Coles) and S.S. Kresge Company, with Kresge owning 51% of the common stock in the company. The first New Zealand store opened in Henderson in 1988.[145] Kresge later exited this partnership.[146] Since 2007, the Australian and NZ Kmart stores are owned by Wesfarmers.[147]

Europe

In 1992, Kmart purchased several communist-era department stores in Eastern Europe, including 13 in the former Czechoslovakia that were bought from the former Czechoslovak government.[148] One of those stores was the old MÁJ department store on Národní Třída in Prague.[citation needed] Many of these outlets were quite profitable, with the Bratislava location setting a single store sales record for the company. But Kmart's larger troubles in the U.S. caught up with its European operations later in the decade. In March 1996, the Kmart Corporation announced that it had agreed to sell the six Kmart stores in the Czech Republic and the seven in Slovakia to Tesco PLC of Britain for about $117.5 million (equivalent to $228 million in 2024), to focus on its core operations in North America.[149][150]

Former Kmart in Bratislava Europe

Mexico

In the 1990s, Kmart opened four stores in Mexico, in partnership with the Mexican retailer Liverpool.[151][152] All were supercenters, and the locations were all suburbs of Mexico City. About half of the store area was devoted to groceries, and this part of the stores resembled those in the US with some adjustments to the local market.[153] These plus an unfinished store were sold in 1997 to the Mexican hypermarket chain Mega (part of Comercial Mexicana)[154] and remain open under that name, except the store in Tlalnepantla, which was demolished in 2004 to build a Costco.

Singapore

In 1994, Kmart opened a 104,000 square-foot store in the Marina Square Shopping Center under a joint venture with Metro (Private) Limited. The joint venture with Singapore was dissolved in 1996. [155][156]

Caribbean

In late 2000, Kmart quietly started a major expansion into the Caribbean where Wal-Mart and Target have no presence in many of its countries. Kmart started construction on a Super Kmart in 2001 in Trindad [157] and was halted in 2002 at 80 percent complete. Plans for more stores in Trinidad were going to be built, as well as Millennium Heights in Barbados, five stores in the Dominican Republic, and a potential foray into Jamaica.[158] The unfinished Super Kmart store in Trinidad and Tobago is now a Tru Value Supermarket which is the largest supermarket.

Management

See also

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Bibliography

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