Kmart / Sears Essentials / Big Kmart, Parsippany, NJ
Girls and Children's department. Note the carpeting leftover from Sears Essentials, and the white and red department signage. I haven't seen this signage in any other Kmart stores except those which were converted from Sears Essentials.
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The Kmart of Parsippany opened in 1998 and was a flagship Big Kmart store for the company. It was one of the company's first Big Kmart stores, and the store was featured on the commercial which launched the Big Kmart concept nationwide.
In the commercial, a blue tarp is being removed from the sign as the Big Kmart jingle is played "There's a new old friend in the same old place, with a brand new name and a brand new face". A mock parade was even staged in nearby Boonton, NJ with Kathy Ireland jogging down the main street and Martha Stewart driving an 18-wheeler. Scenes of Bob Hope eating breakfast were filmed at the local Boonton Diner.
The 120,000 sq. ft. Big Kmart store replaced a former Kmart one mile up the highway, which had originally been a J.M. Fields. In 2005, the store was re-bannered as Sears Essentials. New Sears carpeting, separate dressing rooms for men and women, and better-quality Sears fixtures were installed as part of the conversion. Unfortunately, many departments were poorly merchandised and shoppers encountered lots of empty shelf space in the huge store. To top it off, Eddie Lampert and his crew raised prices. The previously proud and busy Kmart quickly became a place people avoided and the store was often deserted.
In 2010, the company admitted defeat on the concept and after a 2-day liquidation, the store reverted back to Kmart. Most of the Sears fixtures were left in place but the store did receive a very seldom seen and short-lived Kmart interior package with red and white department signage featuring pictures of people.
Update (August, 2017): Sears announced that this store will close by the end of 2017.
Kmart / Sears Essentials / Big Kmart, Parsippany, NJ
Girls and Children's department. Note the carpeting leftover from Sears Essentials, and the white and red department signage. I haven't seen this signage in any other Kmart stores except those which were converted from Sears Essentials.
------------------
The Kmart of Parsippany opened in 1998 and was a flagship Big Kmart store for the company. It was one of the company's first Big Kmart stores, and the store was featured on the commercial which launched the Big Kmart concept nationwide.
In the commercial, a blue tarp is being removed from the sign as the Big Kmart jingle is played "There's a new old friend in the same old place, with a brand new name and a brand new face". A mock parade was even staged in nearby Boonton, NJ with Kathy Ireland jogging down the main street and Martha Stewart driving an 18-wheeler. Scenes of Bob Hope eating breakfast were filmed at the local Boonton Diner.
The 120,000 sq. ft. Big Kmart store replaced a former Kmart one mile up the highway, which had originally been a J.M. Fields. In 2005, the store was re-bannered as Sears Essentials. New Sears carpeting, separate dressing rooms for men and women, and better-quality Sears fixtures were installed as part of the conversion. Unfortunately, many departments were poorly merchandised and shoppers encountered lots of empty shelf space in the huge store. To top it off, Eddie Lampert and his crew raised prices. The previously proud and busy Kmart quickly became a place people avoided and the store was often deserted.
In 2010, the company admitted defeat on the concept and after a 2-day liquidation, the store reverted back to Kmart. Most of the Sears fixtures were left in place but the store did receive a very seldom seen and short-lived Kmart interior package with red and white department signage featuring pictures of people.
Update (August, 2017): Sears announced that this store will close by the end of 2017.