Martha Stewart to Competition -AGAIN

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

http://www.ajc.com/search/content//printedition/2009/09/15/martha0915.html

Say what you will about Martha but she now will be selling her stuff in yet another competitor.

-Alot of softlines and/or homegoods are now available at Macys

-Her paint went to Lowes (many a Sears store paints sales tanked as soon as MS replishment stopped let alone officially left) .

And now a variety of goods at Home Depot-ALL Sears and/or Kmart competitors .

Little does Martha know that Eddie has MILLIONS of shares of HD.

Joined: 06 Jul 2003 Posts: 8380 Location: Central CA

And is probably making more from his HD shares right now than he is Sears. Hmmmm.... Wink

Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 1646 Location: Michigan

Neil Cavuto over at Fox News had her on yesterday for a chat, and I didn't remember to DVR it. I caught parts of it while working on other things, and at the beginning, he zoomed in on the dissolution of the Kmart 'partnership'. He specifically tried to nail down the precise reasons why no new contract was inked, and while Martha didn't skirt the issue, she didn't out and out say that it was because of all of the reasons we've talked about before here, but rather left it at the "it's been a nice run, but we're moving on to other interests".

Some snippets I remember hearing her say:
...The HD relationship has been in the works for more than a year, and the new merchandise will be in all 2000+ HD locations starting in January 2010.
..."Hard home" items and patio furniture will be the core offerings, as the other Kmart lines have moved to Macy's already.
...She confirmed that 50% of HD's consumer base was women, although even Neil found that questionable and contrary to the HD image most people think of.
...Her Macy's lines are doing very well, even with the recession going on. She alluded to the defection of her customers away from Kmart to her new merchandising partners.

Looks like she's not going to be shedding any tears over getting out of Kmart. Another fine example of someone standing up to Presidente Eddie and his beancounters and moving on to more profitable fields elsewhere.

Martha's got bigger balls than you, Eddie. Evil or Very Mad

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/39301645.html

Martha apparently dissed Kmart and Eddie when discussing her new Home Depot deal. Said things like Kmart has deteriorated. Wouldn't discuss sales figures.

SHLD spokes person seemed surprised.

Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 1646 Location: Michigan

Everything that Martha says there is absolutely true. From what my "insiders" have told me, both in the actual store and out, Kmart kept whittling away at MSE offerings, and were obviously quite keen on seeing her to the door.

Back in 2008 when they introduced the Abbey Hill domestics line, my insiders told me how cheapened the MSE line had become, in merchandise appearance/quality and in presentation. They told me the stuff was coming in from India and not from the USA plants that had previously produced them ... and it was very apparent. So this corporate BS-line of:

Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:05 am Post subject:

Of course Martha does a back peddle a month later. Weak.

http://www.bloomberg.com.cn/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=awEohZzWVje8

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

Also noted was a decrease in annual minimum royalties due to MS from Kmart- I don't know wether that means sales sucked or Eddie is a slow pay.

I know they were winding down MS paint by 2007 which disappointed alot of regular 30 customers.

What's scary is that MS apparently made 43% of their merchandising revenue from Kmart along with 10% of total sales.

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

Not anything new per say but Martha probably gets here biggest paint distribution deal since she left Kmart and Sears. Her Lowes deal has ended.

HD has what almost 2000 stores that can sell paint. Even though Martha had more locations with Kmart and Sears combined at least with HD she gets a full fledged paint dept. In Kmart there was rarely someone available to mix paint and in Sears no body wanted to mix paint.

Alot of Martha customers especially during the bubble years where hard core Martha paint fans. Fickel but loyal and would buy at regular price half the time.

I don't know what happend at Lowes and it's not a shoe in at HD but this is one that Sears let get away.

http://www.macon.com/220/story/943920.html

Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Posts: 34

Are Martha Stewart Paints still thin like water?

I hope her paint is better than it used to be because we used to have customers complaining about how thin it was.

Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Posts: 6309

When Martha paint was at Sears and Kmart it was made by Sherwin Williams. I bought about 8 gallons as they were phasing it out at Kmart on an average of 3-5 dollars per gallon. I had no problems and it covers well.

MS had alot of pastel colors so perhaps there's something going on when mixing pastel colors. Her new paint comes from a Dutch company to be manufactured by a NY company.

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 546

Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 1646 Location: Michigan

Is Dutch Boy a unit of Sherwin Williams? When I was at Kmart, the MSE paint was maintained/brought in by Dutch Boy. The one store I worked at had TONS of paint sold, and there was a lot of customers pissed when they took it out. I just sent them to the nearest Lowe's. Very Happy

I used to mix MSE paint in the regular Dutch Boy branded cans, for myself at least, since they were the better price when on sale. You can pretty much get away with tinting most paint bases, except for the super-deep colors that require the special ones, "brand" indifferent.

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