Sears outlet returning to Neepawa
- Details
- Published on Thursday, September 18, 2014
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
It’s official, a Sears outlet will be reopening in Neepawa this fall. Local business owner Maureen Turner signed the papers last week that will see her take over the Sears catalogue business in Neepawa.
Turner has also bought the former Neepawa Sears store building at 412 Mountain Ave and will be moving her store, Kerreen’s Clothing, to that location. Turner officially takes possession of her new building on Oct. 1, but is hoping for earlier occupancy.
There will be one major change to the Sears business in Neepawa going forward, Turner will only offer catalogue sales. While customers can order anything available in the catalogue, including appliances and televisions, and pick it up at Kerreen’s, the Neepawa location won’t stock any Sears inventory. Turner said that she will maintain the current warehouse space, as well as leaving room to accommodate orders for large item special events, such as mattress sales. “Their [Sears’] prices are so good, [Neepawa residents] will still be able to get good prices for bigger ticket items,” said Turner.
While customers won’t be able to buy something from Sears and take it home that day, the move will provide convenience for customers. Currently, anyone who has ordered from Sears has to pick up their purchases at a Sears store in another community, such as Minnedosa or Gladstone. Going forward, customers can also purchase something at another Sears store, in Winnipeg for example, and have it shipped to Neepawa for pick up.
Turner said they expect that as of Sept. 18, customers will be able to select “Neepawa” as their delivery point when they are making their orders. Shipments should start arriving at the outlet around Oct. 2.
The move will also mean changes for Kerreen’s Clothing. Currently, the store covers about 600 square feet. Their new location has a total footprint of 2,600 sq. ft. and about 1,800 sq. ft. of that will be dedicated to retail clothing. “We will have much better displays and lighting,” said Turner.
Apart from the additional space, Turner said they aren’t planning any major changes to the retail mix, they will continue to carry women’s fashions as well as some men’s clothing.
