Sears Debuts The Great Indoors Store
Sears recently announced the grand opening of its innovative home store called The Great Indoors in Lone Tree, Colorado. The 150,000 square foot home decorating and remodeling prototype is unique because it is designed around the four main rooms in the home: kitchen, bath, bedroom and guest room. The Great Indoors offers endless treasures for the interior of the home from stylish bath fixtures, fashionable bedding, decorative accessories and flooring to surround sound home theater systems and high performance appliances. The store contains over 50,000 items and 60 room displays including 650 appliances, 1,000 lamps, 700 rugs, 500 faucets and more.
"We started with the traditional strengths of Sears and based on consumer feedback, designed the store around the female customers' ideal shopping experience," said Arthur C. Martinez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sears, Roebuck and Co.
The store design was created after more than 100 hours of customer interviews; it is intended to bring everything she needs for home decorating under one roof, while inspiring ideas and providing solutions in a comfortable, enjoyable shopping environment. The Retail Group, a design firm based in Seattle, WA, worked on the interior and exterior store design for over a year. Sears executives believe that The Great Indoors offers an unrivaled assortment of merchandise from leading brands such as Sub Zero and Kenmore (appliances); Croscill and Waverly (bedding, bath, window); Kohler and Royal Velvet (bath); Ann Sacks (tile); Stiffel (lighting); Sony and Mitsubishi (electronics) and many others. The store's merchandise is competitively priced.
The Great Indoors is positioned as a "one-stop-shop," offering convenient in-store services including: Vie de France, a full service restaurant; a resource library; a branch of Norwest Bank; a Top Shop for custom cut countertops; a gift registry; learning center for seminars and classes; a custom frame shop and floral department and installation services.
Cutting edge technology is a cornerstone of The Great Indoors. By using ModaVISION, a 3-D computer system developed by Los Angeles based ModaCAD, Inc., customers can create and view photo realistic renderings of merchandise from various manufacturers. ModaVISION also allows design consultants to create a "virtual clip board" of merchandise from vendors' digital catalogs (which gives customers the opportunity to special order products not displayed in the store). By simply clicking, dragging and dropping desired product selections into a virtual room scene, customers can visualize how their newly redecorated rooms will look.
Special Brew Offered In 6-Packs
Special Brew single serve malt beverage is being offered in colorful, easy-to-carry 6-packs this spring. Special Brew is a unique, alternative alcoholic beverage with natural fruit juices. Previously, Special Brew was offered in 20 oz. wide mouth bottles and 32 oz. bottles. Four of the brand's most popular flavors, Passion, Kiwi Strawberry, Mixed Fruit and Berry, will now be sold in 6-packs of 12 oz. non-returnable, wide mouth bottles.
"The new package broadens the range of usage occasions and we anticipate it will generate increased trial," said Pierre Stroh, Brand Manager, St. Ides Brewing Co. of Detroit.
Special Brew was first introduced by the St. Ides Brewing Co. in 1996 as an alternative to beers, wine and wine coolers. "The brand established a category of its own and quickly captured the taste of the cutting edge young adult consumer," Stroh said.
The new 6-packs will be promoted in-store with a variety of eye catching point-of-sale, including bold, colorful posters, easel cards and static stickers, designed by Culver Design of Milwaukee, WI.
Rockwell Names E. Washington Snr. VP, Mktg. & Comm.
Rockwell, Costa Mesa, CA, has promoted Earl S. Washington to the position of Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications from Senior Vice President, Communications. Washington will be responsible for a broad range of global marketing and communications activities, including corporate marketing, advertising, employee communications, public relations, shareowner communications, community affairs and state government relations.
Square D and Schneider NA Names R. Fiorani, VP, Comm.
Robert P. Fiorani has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice President, Communication for Square D and Schneider North America. In addition to his previous duties as Director of Corporate Communication, Fiorani assumes additional responsibility for all marketing communication programs of both Square D and Schneider North America, announced John R. Carlson, Vice President of Marketing. Square D is the flagship brand of Schneider North America, the Palatine, IL based North American supplier of electrical distribution, industrial control and automation products, systems and services.
John Stark Printing Opens Second NC Office; Names D. Frick Account Executive
John Stark Printing Co., Inc. has opened a second sales office in North Carolina. The new office is located in Charlotte, with Donald E. Frick appointed Account Executive. Frick has over 22 years of experience in full color lithography and is a point of sale specialist. Stark is one of the nation's largest producers of point of sale advertising material, with headquarters in St. Louis, and sales offices in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Cleveland, Kansas City, Sacramento and Tampa.
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