Sears to Open Two Chicago-Area Appliances and Electronics Stores Nov. 15
Bolingbrook and Mt. Prospect Stores Will Offer Over 3,000 Appliances, the Top Six Appliance Brands and Over 1,500 Electronics Products in Market Test
Have you been looking for the perfect electronics gear for your holiday gift list? Or maybe you've been waiting for just the right moment to replace that aging refrigerator or clothes washer. If you live near Bolingbrook or Mt. Prospect, be sure to mark Nov. 15 on your calendar. That is the date the first two suburban Chicago Sears Appliances and Electronics stores open.
Bolingbrook and Mt. Prospect were selected as the locations for these new 20,000-square-foot test formats because of the strong demographics and the availability of top-grade retail locations. The stores offer shoppers the same breadth of appliance and electronics products found in the largest Sears mall-based stores, and the convenience of a neighborhood strip center location:
-- The Bolingbrook Sears Appliances and Electronics store is located at
Bolingbrook Commons, 157 N. Weber Road, midway between existing Sears
stores at Louis Joliet Mall, Joliet and at Fox Valley Mall, Aurora.
-- Located in the Mt. Prospect Plaza, 1008 East Rand Road, the Sears
Appliances and Electronics store will provide convenient access, midway
between the existing Sears full-line stores at Woodfield Mall,
Schaumburg, and Golf Mill, Niles.
"Appliances and electronics are the areas where Sears has strong authority with customers," said Lyle Heidemann, president of Hardlines for Sears, Roebuck and Co.
"Our appliance customer tells us that she wants more shopping convenience, so we're testing this format as a way to grow these categories by presenting them in off-mall, neighborhood locations.
"Customers will see the same broad assortment and product selection available at our largest mall-based store, plus knowledgeable salespeople, our Satisfaction Guarantee, delivery options and post-sale service -- all of which set Sears apart from the competition," Heidemann said.
During the grand opening weekend Nov. 15-17, shoppers can take advantage of some attractive promotions at each store:
-- The first 250 customers each day will receive a free set of inflatable
chairs with an ottoman, compliments of DISH Network and TOON Disney;
-- 0% financing for one year on home appliances over $399 and on
televisions and camcorders over $499; and
-- Free delivery for all appliances over $399.
The Sears Appliances and Electronics stores also offer:
-- A large selection of the top six national appliance brands: Amana,
Frigidaire, GE, Maytag, Whirlpool, and the most popular brand in
America -- Kenmore and Kenmore Elite, sold exclusively at Sears;
-- Four new kitchen vignettes that present brand-name appliances in a
kitchen setting that will help the customer envision the appliance in
use in her home;
-- A new self-serve vacuum cleaner department featuring Eureka, Hoover and
Kenmore products;
-- Home electronics products featuring televisions from, Hitachi, JVC,
Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, RCA, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba; DVD
players from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba; camcorders
from JVC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Sony; digital cameras from
Fuji, Hewlett-Packard, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony; and computers and
related products from Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and Sony.
-- New "digital solutions for the home" product displays for home theatre,
home audio; digital imaging products; personal digital assistants or
"handhelds"; digital cameras; digital camcorders; portable audio and
telephones; and mobile audio.
-- Product demonstrations - Also during grand opening weekend, consumers
will see high definition television demonstrations by Mitsubishi,
Hitachi and Sony; home audio by Bose; digital imaging products by Sony;
MP3 demonstrations by Samsung; and computer demonstrations by Compaq.
Store hours for both locations will be 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
"We'll be testing every aspect of the store and making adjustments as we receive feedback from customers," Heidemann said. "With this approach, area consumers now have more than one outlet at which to shop -- the Sears full- line store when they are shopping at the mall, or the Sears Appliances and Electronics Store when they are in those neighborhoods."
Sears is currently accepting applications for employment at both stores. Those interested in employment at the Bolingbrook location can apply at the Sears store at Louis Joliet Mall. Those interested in employment at the Mt. Prospect store can apply at Woodfield Mall.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) is a leading retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families in the U.S. through Sears stores nationwide, including approximately 860 full-line stores. Sears also offers a wide variety of merchandise and services through its Web site, www.sears.com .
SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Contact: Larry Costello, +1-847-286-9036, lcoste5@sears.com , or Peggy
Palter, +1-847-286-8361, ppalter@sears.com , both for Sears PR
Website: http://www.sears.com/