Thread regarding Sears layoffs

Seritage, Lands' End, ESL, Sears, Kmart, and other Eddie Lampert cash flow disasters headed for Chapter 7

Looking through the Seritage filing and the news about the Bangladeshi vendors, you can see how it spells imminent disaster for Sears and Kmart. Whatever else happens, the first person Eddie Lampert pays as owner is always Eddie Lampert. None of these stores that Eddie owns is paying Seritage, which is money that goes would go into Eddie's own pockets. These are all the supposedly "best" stores that TransformCo has been trumpeting as Go Forward for the past two years. That means Seritage doesn't have money to issue dividends anytime soon. The Bangladeshi vendors say TransformCo lied about its finances, and TransformCo itself says they're going to destroy the stock. That means TransformCo can't even afford the warehouses to store the stock and are willing to get sued for both nonpayment, breach of contract and all the rest. There's news about Lands' End furloughs, and if you peek over at the Lands' End board, there's a post about Lands' End layoffs. There's no need to talk about the Sears/Kmart closings.

Seritage is bleeding cash. It has insufficient capital to renovate properties and is selling assets. It's getting sued by tenants that have signed leases saying that it has not made buildings ready for move in. It can't even collect half the rent that it's supposed to collect. Meanwhile Sears has borrowed billions, sold DieHard and Innovel, and it STILL can't pay the paltry $40 million necessary to avoid a class action which could force bankruptcy and a straight up piercing of the corporate veil to ESL because of underfunding in TransformCo. What does Eddie have left to put up as collateral to get another loan for Sears? ESL has less than $100M left in left in equity, Kenmore has been shopped for a decade without a buyer, as relevant as Speed Queen, Seritage is effective owned by creditor Warren Buffet who will walk away with nothing if he lets Eddie's toadies run it any longer, and Lands' End brand is being systematically destroyed just like Sears and being turned into another cash incinerator.

Put it all together, and Sears is going to be in Chapter 7 very soon, this time in involuntary bankruptcy if Eddie doesn't declare it first. Somehow Eddie's capital investments never quite end up being investments, but instead turn into writeoffs with -500% returns.

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| 2551 views | | 15 replies (last June 11, 2020) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+15mAauHJ

15 replies (most recent on top)

I used to work at Corporate in Hoffman (I&TG)... I recall all the Townhall meetings Lampert used to hold, giving us all a bunch of BS meanwhile the company was literally in free-fall. He set up all his shell companies and off shore accounts and screwed over shareholders and vendors alike. Shafted retirees and lied to the village of Hoffman Estates about the jobs. Screwed over a school district. This man needs to pay. I hope the Bangladeshi companies screw him over and get into his other holdings like Auto zone or ESL so they can get paid what they worked for. The justice dept needs to look into him. Also blame Alan Lacy for paving the way for Eddie to take over back in 2004/2005. Both of those guys absolutely ruined Sears.

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Post ID: @3brp+15mAauHJ

Everybody just needs to accept the fact that a fool (Eddie "The T–d" Lampert) was allowed to:
1) buy Kmart and then
2) trade for Sears....and then
3) destroy both and all of the "holdings".
4)End of story.
5) Bye Bye.

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Post ID: @2tyw+15mAauHJ

The coronavirus will almost certainly put a end to Sears and KMart for good

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Post ID: @2kdx+15mAauHJ

Target, Kohls and Home Depot have outperformed Sears over the last 15 to 20 years, and now it's reached critical mass. Sears and Kmart cannot compete, period. When one walks into Target, Kohls and Home Depot and compares it to the current experience at Sears and Kmart, there is no comparison. Amazon online is light years better than Sears. This is a zombie company looking to be put out of it's misery. Just like Montgomery Wards, Circuit City, Radio Shack and many other failed retailers.

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Post ID: @2pvs+15mAauHJ

Wasn't that shipment sent after Transformco bought the assets out of bankruptcy? Someone please correct if that is an incorrect statement.

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Post ID: @2bns+15mAauHJ

Well true Eddie is responsible for the Bangladeshi vendors losing out but from a legal standpoint it rests on the old company.

As far as Kenmore and a royalty deal, 3-5% works on tools which have room for markup but competition is tight on appliances. Vacuums, small appliances are one thing but wiggle room is less on grills and large appliances especially since there is no manufacturing its just a name being put on an LG or similar. He shouldn't wait too long though or name recognition will deteriorate worse. Really he should sc-ap Sears altogether use the cost savings to partner with offshore manufacturers and just sell kenmore products through Amazon, he would make far far more money than the teetering house of cards.

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Post ID: @2mrw+15mAauHJ

Lands End is a separate company now and they just inked a great deal with Kohl's. Yes, Kenmore has been shipped. There is interest in Kenmore but Eddi wants the deal to be structured like the craftsman deal and nobody wants to pay royalties.

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Post ID: @1nrt+15mAauHJ

As stated previously, this is a Sears Holdings issue and the bankruptcy trust would be liable, although these creditors will never see their money. TransformCo is not liable for the funds owed to Bangladesh.

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Post ID: @1kjb+15mAauHJ

Fact: there is no way forward. There is virtually nothing on the website that shows anything worth going to a store for - if there is a store within driving distance - which is in most cases unlikely, or for that matter attempting to place an order for delivery. There is, by most accounts, nothing in the stores that is not shown on the website that is worth the trip either.

Most of what is shown on the website is "marketplace stuff", which can be gotten elsewhere at better prices.

Vendors will no longer sell merchandise to Sears (or anywhere in Transformco) without cash up front, and those that are desperate enough to ship anything to Transformco stores on terms are often have their merchandise languish overseas, as they have no promise of being paid.

The few hundred "Hometown" stores cannot get any merchandise from Sears for store stock or for home delivery, and most are going broke. So while they are "independent contractors", they have no economic basis for continuing to hold on, and are abandoning their stores.

Cash flow in the aggregate is negative, and will not get any better. Chapter 7 - total liquidation - is the only answer. And it has to come sooner than later for reasons stated in the post.

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Post ID: @1sqh+15mAauHJ

OK fine. I want this to happen too. But Tell us when it happens, no need to speculate. When it happens and you have proof of the closings, THEN post about it. Everything else is just conjecture or speculation at this point. Post some links to some actual store closings.

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Post ID: @1jgq+15mAauHJ

Speed Queen is relevant and well known especially in commercial laundry.

Anyway I went over this, Transformco does not owe the Bangladeshi vendors, Sears Holdings does. The lawsuit is over merchandise ordered by Holdings during bankruptcy that arrived after and Transform doesn't want. Holdings has no money.

The answer to this is in the lengthy lawsuit from the cash the tills vs credit card receipts lawsuit from the handover period.

These vendors extended credit to transform under the assumption that business would continue as normal but that doesn't have anything to do with this particular stuff.

Transform can't accept the delivery or they will have to pay for it. It isn't being warehoused by them its sitting in limbo on a dock.

As far as Seritage and Lands End they are separate whether or not they lose money isn't going to impact Sears.

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Post ID: @1ugc+15mAauHJ

@1nxv doubt you've ever had a job

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Post ID: @1mye+15mAauHJ

We've sold enough bogus home warranties to keep him afloat for a while longer....

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Post ID: @1loh+15mAauHJ

Love the way everyone is cheering for someone to fail, yet you continue to blame Lampert for your failures while working at dead end jobs with no prospects for the future,

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Post ID: @1nxv+15mAauHJ

They should be ok.

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Post ID: @1byc+15mAauHJ

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