New Outlook For Sears

Sears Canada have some plans in their long range business outlook for some changes, but the report last week on business was not as strong as they would have liked it to be. As a shopper I like the changes they have been making, to their new brands. We are hearing that Sears U.S. will probably pick up the balance of the stock they don’t own in the Canadian operation. I was in a remodeled Sears store in San Diego and was really impressed with their presentation. I would like to see some of those brands make it into the Canadian stores.

Although never confirmed officially there was talk of the adding some departments to the store here.

They are also thinking of a smaller department store nationally, “Sears Village.” They hired a consultant last year to look at downsizing or experimenting with new off-mall formats like Sears Home, Appliances and Mattresses. Don’t know what this all means to Sears Kelowna.

What a good move by the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation in the hiring of Janice Perrino, the Summerland ball of fire. It is a new position with an incredible challenge of raising funds for the health facilities in Summerland, Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos and Princeton. They couldn’t have chosen a better person to make this all work. Janice has been with the B.C. Cancer Foundation as director of development for the last 7 ½ years. Made it all work. The lady is a winner.

The Colonel is in for more changes. The image of KFC is going through a change of life for the second or third time in his long career as the man who means good chicken. Col. Harland Sanders is about to get thinner, off with the white coat, put on a red apron and have a newer younger image for the masses. The company sells its chicken in 82 countries around the world.

When the Colonel sold his restaurants in 1964, 600 of them, for $2 million, he really gave the company away according to many financial people. In Canada there was a chain in Ontario called Scott’s Chicken Villas who held the KFC franchise. They were a very successful operation. I can’t remember the name of the owner of the chain, but I do remember he lived in Cooksville just outside of Toronto and he invited the Colonel to come and live there, actually across the street from his family. Which he did for a number of years?

There have been about three or four owners of the fast food chain after that initial buy, one of them dropping the Colonel altogether from its company profile. That didn’t last and was a dumb move.

Harlan started the company making chicken with his eleven secret herbs and spices across the street from his service station in Kentucky in a restaurant with 142 seats, off the highway and yet the people came. He used his $105 Social Security cheque to start the business.

What is happening now is the company in the U.S. is testing a new store design, a Southern accent menu and the remake of the colonel himself. The company is also changing the name back to Kentucky Fried Chicken in this test. It has been years since that was used.