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Hey, Teens: It's Hip! It's Hot! It's Sears?

Photo provided by MTV

Teen actors Rodney To, top, Nina Dobrev, center, and Bresha Webb lying on a bed display at a Sears store in Provo, Utah, in a scene from a back-to-school movie titled "The American Mall."

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 19, 2008

CHICAGO - First came the decision to stock Skechers, a line of footwear teens favor. Then came the personalized avatar, the virtual identity Sears shoppers could accessorize online.

Now the company that once offered in-store hearing aids and dentures is teaming up with MTV to produce a back-to-school movie while adding a line of street clothes and accessories designed by hip-hop artist LL Cool J.

After spending years trying to get shoppers to embrace its softer side, the ailing retailer is still known more for its hardware than handbags. So its latest strategy to stem slumping sales is trying to tap yet another new market: the young, hip and urban.

"While mom may decide what the acceptable place is to shop, the kids are deciding what clothes they want and what places have it," said Richard Gerstein, Sears' chief marketing officer. "If we come out of our season with much more relevance with this group, and improving our sales and profitability with this group, we think it's a big win."

Whether the initiatives can help Sears shed its stale image is up in the air. What's certain, experts say, is that the chain led by financier Edward Lampert desperately needs to reinvent itself if it's going to survive.

"It's a great place to buy a washing machine, but you wouldn't want to get your jeans there," said Jayne Mountford, vice president of trend reporting for Stylesight, a global retail forecasting firm.

That's the sentiment Sears executives hope "The American Mall" movie and the LL Cool J gear, which will be available in mid-September, can change.

"The American Mall," produced by the team responsible for the tween-loved "High School Musical" series, is a cross-promotion between MTV and Sears. The 87-minute film, shot in a Utah Sears store, will air on MTV on Aug. 11.

During the most recent fiscal year, the company's earnings dropped 44 percent to $826 million. And during the first quarter of 2008, Sears lost $56 million.

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