Does anyone remember Structure the clothing store? The store was like Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch. They sold designer-style clothing, that wasn’t cheap by any means. They were purchased by Express and then by Sears.
The question is did anyone know Sears bought them and were selling the Structure clothing line in their stores? I used to buy some clothes from Structure and never knew Sears purchased them until today. I was walking through Sears and saw the familiar name and got home and looked it up and sure enough they purchased the company from Express.
You are probably saying: “Who cares?”
And I’m saying: “Exactly.”
Surely there are some men out there that buy clothing from Sears but if they do they aren’t looking for designer label clothing. That’s for boutiques and stores like Macy’s. Thats like Wal-Mart’s half-baked attempt at selling upscale clothing. Structure would have been a better fit for Target because at least the audience is a littler hipper than Sears’ target client. It seems like a huge waste of money to purchase that company and another reason why Sears is falling apart. I don’t know who is leading that company but its a disaster.
What would I do if I were Sears? I wouldn’t have bought the company in the first place because there is no synergy. But now that they own it they should just open stores like the Gap and Banana Republic and make Structure back into the store it once was. I think diversification is a great idea and Sears could still do that.
If Sears wants synergy with a company try Timberland or Carhartt or Wrangler or Levis or similar brands. Between their automotive department, hardware, tools, etc, there is plenty of synergy. Imagine how easy it would be to promote those products together. There aren’t many DIYer in the clothing department looking for bikini cut briefs. Rather, if I’m checking out a $600 toolbox tell me how I can get a discount on coveralls and a jacket to stay warm while fixing my car.
