US general merchandiser Sears Roebuck will convert the stores it acquired from Kmart in a US$620 million (£337 million) deal last week into bigger versions of its new standalone fascia Sears Grand.
The two-store Sears Grand trial was launched last year and takes the retailer's traditional mall offer of white goods, clothing and homewares closer to shoppers' homes.
The shops, styled as 'one-stop home and family centres', are for the first time offering convenience-based add-ons such as milk and detergent, alongside items such as fridges and clothes.
Kmart shoppers have a similar profile to Sears' and two- thirds of the 61 new stores are in the US's top 15 demographic areas.
'These transactions will jump start our strategy to grow the brand off-mall,' said Sears chairman and chief executive officer Alan Lacy. 'These acquisitions will allow us to open more stores quickly and boost our off-mall retail presence.'
Sears will invest US$200 million (£108.8 million) in a refit programme that is expected to be ready by the end of next year. The majority of stores will be converted to a mid-size version of Sears Grand.
Merrill Lynch analyst Dan Barry said that the off-mall stores had been exceeding targets by 30 per cent.
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