| SEARS UNVEILS A ‘GRAND’ NEW EXPERIENCE IN CHATHAM STATION SHOPPING CENTER |
| 19 Jan 2007 |
| SEARS UNVEILS A ‘GRAND’ NEW EXPERIENCE IN CHATHAM STATION SHOPPING CENTER IN ELLICOTT CITY, MD The new Sears Grand store is inspiring, family-focused and interactive HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.—From Barbie to Kenmore, shoppers are in for a new kind of shopping experience at Sears Grand. The Sears Grand store was opened by Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) at Chatham Station Shopping Center in Ellicott City in late 2006 replacing the former Kmart store. The store features a broad assortment of private and national brands in a warm, inviting and easy-to-shop format. A solutions-based destination, Sears Grand is designed to inspire customers by providing complete solutions for their everyday lives. For example, stylized vignettes are presented in a way that offer ideas on how to decorate the baby’s room, update the kitchen and dress for the season. An Internet lounge, which provides free high-speed web access, allows customers to check e-mail, surf the web and shop online. “We have created a distinctive retail format that invites families to look at shopping in a new way,” said Patricia Recktenwald, vice president and chief operating officer for Sears Grand. “Sears Grand allows busy families to find what they need for running their everyday lives, in a place that is also entertaining.” Recktenwald added, “Sears Grand is not just a store, it is a shopping destination.” Sears Grand has the great brands that have made Sears part of American families for generations—Kenmore, DieHard, Craftsman and now Lands’ End—plus everyday health and beauty items such as cosmetics, hair care and fragrances. Merchandise categories include: apparel, appliances, automotive, baby needs, electronics, fitness equipment, health and beauty, home décor, laundry, lawn and garden, ready-to-assemble furniture, sporting goods, tools and toys. “Sears Grand combines the convenience of the former Kmart with the quality brands and services of Sears and we are excited to bring this new shopping experience to the local community,” said Andrew McCulla, director of stores for Sears Grand. “We look forward to being a good neighbor and building lifelong relationships with our customers.” This store, previously a Kmart store, was selected for conversion based on the needs and lifestyles of area residents, which match the solutions Sears Grand provides, as well as the store’s location relative to other Sears and Kmart stores. The store employs approximately 105 local residents. Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's third largest broadline retailer, with approximately $55 billion in annual revenues, and with approximately 3,800 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U.S. by Kmart and in Canada by Sears Canada. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit Sears Holdings’ website at www.searsholdings.com. Chatham Station Shopping Center, a 295,587 square foot community shopping center is located on Baltimore National Pike, just past the intersection of Routes 40 and 29 in Ellicott City, Maryland. The center is leased and managed by Resource Enterprises, Inc., a full-service commercial real estate firm serving the mid-Atlantic region. The company specializes in property management, redevelopment, leasing and sales. |
