A shiny upgrade, including Land’s End clothing.
A new long-term lease. Sears is in Lewiston for the long haul.
LEWISTON – Something fishy is up at Sears.
Workers at the Lewiston Mall anchor store are sporting name tags with titles like “angel fish” and “manatee man.”
Manager Brad Kutulas, aka “yodeling trout,” said most curious shoppers laugh when they hear the explanation about the aquatic theme. The store is launching a customer service campaign around the acronym FISH: service should be Fast, merchandise In Stock and employees Helpful.
And they’re doing it in the midst of a massive renovation. Walkways are lined with duct tape as old tiles are ripped up to make way for new flooring. Flashy mobile chrome display racks have replaced the old metal and faux wood shelving. New light fixtures will be installed, and the water stains on the ceiling are on the way out.
“It’s been crazy here, but it’s really exciting,” said Kutulas as he negotiated around a yellow “Pardon our dust” sign. “There’s so much going on.”
Kutulas declined to say how much the renovation will cost, but he did say the Lewiston store is getting more renovation money than any other small Sears store in New England. Perhaps it’s a reward: Last year the store ranked 10th out of 870 stores nationwide in the company’s own performance ranking. Sears also just renewed its lease in the mall for another 10 years, with options to extend it further.
“We’re staying here awhile,” said Kutulas.
And expanding.
New fixtures allow more display space within the roughly 50,000-square-foot store. Some stockroom space has been converted to floor space, and the store has eliminated its custom draperies and paint departments, freeing that space for other inventory.
The lawn-and-garden department will expand, as will home fashions and large appliances. Wiring for a new, state-of-the-art electronics department is part of the upgrade. Kutulas said the housewares section will almost double its inventory. Fine jewelry will be added.
And the store just began carrying Land’s End inventory. In fact, the Land’s End all-weather moc has become the best-selling item in the store.
“Land’s End has really allowed us to upgrade our fashion areas,” said Kutulas. “It’s very nice quality at an affordable price.”
Kutulas said the renovation and expected increase in business is prompting the hiring of 20 new part-time employees to add to the existing 97-member workforce.
“We’re having a very good month in August, so I’m optimistic that we are on the right track,” he said.
Nationally, the company seems strong, having outperformed expectations throughout 2002, according to stock analysts. It also sold its poorly performing credit card operation last month, which helped its stock price rebound.
Kutulas said officials considered moving the Lewiston store to a couple of different locations in Auburn last year, and considered building a new store, but abandoned those ideas in favor of investing in its current Lisbon Street/East Avenue location.
“I think with the new Shaw’s opening, we’re being part of a retail revitalization of this area,” he said.
The renovations are expected to be complete in October. Most of the work is being done at night to reduce the inconvenience to customers.
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