from Shop Talk:
Martha Stewart decorates your home… and your pets
Here is a post from our colleague Shradhha Sharma in Bangalore:
Martha Stewart loves your pet.
The home decorating expert and tastemaker (Macy's good, Home Depot good, Kmart not so good) wants you to buy pet clothing, collars, leashes, bedding, grooming supplies, toys and more, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia said on Tuesday. Pet products retailer PetSmart Inc will sell the accessories starting in the spring of 2010.
Age Group Ltd, which makes licensed products for brands such as Disney, Baby Phat, Hello Kitty and Peanuts, will design the goods.
The announcement adds pet stores to the roster of retailers where you can see Martha's name emblazoned on various products. As we mentioned above, Macy's and Home Depot are two others. One place where you WON'T see her name anymore after next January is Kmart, the discount retailer. The company and Kmart are ending their relationship, something that's been known for months. Stewart's latest comment on that relationship came last Friday when she wished them well and said it would be wrong to interpret earlier remarks she made about Kmart as being inconsistent with her good feelings.
Those remarks, which she uttered on CNBC in September, were more in the spirit of "doberman pinscher" than "cute little kitten," but no matter -- PetSmart no doubt will sport a variety of tasteful Stewart products to suit a variety of temperaments and breeds.
(Photo: Reuters)
Martha Stewart KA-Bars Kmart
After seeing Martha Stewart on CNBC this morning, I was surprised to find that she doesn’t sell a Martha Stewart-branded KA-Bar knife because she seems like she knows how to use one.
Stewart appeared on TV to talk about the company’s new merchandising agreement with Home Depot. The hardware big-box retailer will offer a line of products sold under the Martha Stewart brand. Before they got too far into the interview, they talked about a similar program with discount retailer Kmart that ends in January 2010 — the same time that the Home Depot deal begins.
Here is an excerpt:
The new [Kmart] ownership really has let our line deteriorate. It’s been kind of ripped off, I would say, and really diminished, and the quality is really not what I am proud of. Have you been into a Kmart lately? it’s not the nicest place to shop. …
The stores are not what they were. The shopping experience is not what it was. The products are not there that people go in for. And it’s not a good situation. And as a designer-supplier, I have been extremely disappointed.
CNBC reporter Becky Quick didn’t hide her agreement:
I’ve been in a Kmart recently too and I know exactly what you’re talking about. It’s not only that the quality of the stores has dropped, it’s that it’s hard to find sales people to help you in some of these stores.
Alright First off martha wanted more money out of kmart, Kmart was’nt planing on renewing her contract if she was gonna ask for more money. Anyways at my store the Jacyln smith Sells alot more products and has for there not being many associates blame it on corp they don’t give money to the stores and they don’t give enough money for the management to make schedules that acturally have people in them. At my store we have 1 cashier every night 1 stock guy and maybe 2 girls becuase corporate is too cheap to give us a bigger budget and has for the stores being messy the associates i work with do a great job trying to maintain a clean and welcoming enviroment but there is only so much 30 employee can do though out a week
