Kmart's Changes In The Wal-Mart Industry

Ever since Sebastion S. Kresge opened the first kmart on March 1, 1962 in Garden City, Michigan; kmart has become a popular discount franchise with hundreds of stores across the nation. Kmart has gone through bankruptcy and joined with other companies along the way, but the store still remains in business with a loyal customer basis. Kmart, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation, operated a total of 1,307 Kmart stores across 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as of January 29th, 2011. Nine hundred and eighty-one of these kmart stores operate in-store pharmacies, and twenty have Sears Auto Centers operating within them which include professional automotive repair and maintenance services. Another
In 1996 kmart was compleatly redesigned to make them cleaner, brighter, and easier to shop. Focus was placed on Childrens and Home Fashion departments, as well as a "Pantry" department, which sold frequently purchased consumable goods. These "big" changes were signified by a new name for the remodeled stores - ''Big Kmart.'' To further expand the reach of the company, in December 1999 Kmart launched a new Internet website, BlueLight.com. By initially offering free Internet service, BlueLight was able to register a record-breaking number of users in its first few months. Shoppers now know the e-commerce and information site as
Afterwards, these leaders were asked to step down after accusations of lying about the Company's financila crisis.
Under the leadership of President Julian C. Day, who was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in January 2003, the Company achieved several important objectives during its fast-track reorganization. The Company's accomplishments included strengthening its balance sheet and significantly reducing debt; securing $2 billion in exit financing; focusing its store portfolio on the most productive locations and terminating leases for closed stores; and developing a more disciplined, efficient organization and lowering its overall operating costs. On November 17, 2004, Kmart announced its intention to purchase Sears, Roebuck and Company[->2]. As a part of the merger, the Kmart Holdings Corporation would change its name to Sears Holdings Corporation. The new corporation announced that it would continue to operate stores under both the Sears and Kmart brands. 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. Most Kmart stores now use this logo on their signage, with some only using the red K and the word "mart" due to space concerns. In 2005, the company began renovating some Kmart stores and converting