Kmart's Super Plans

Kmart Corp. (Troy, Mich.) has announced upcoming expansion plans, including 15 new Kmart SuperCenters by mid-November.

Ten traditional Kmart stores are being converted within their existing space, three existing Big Kmart stores are being expanded and converted and two are newly developed SuperCenter locations. The retailer will also open two traditional Big Kmart stores, in Cranston, R.I., and New Windsor, N.Y.

The expansions will be at two locations in Montgomery, Ala., and one in Englewood, Colo. The new SuperCenters are in Detroit and Phoenix.

“We're excited about the possibilities of our 'in-the-box'conversions to SuperCenters,” said chairman and ceo Chuck Conaway. “Right now, our plans are to go slow and treat these openings as test cases that we can study before we move forward. But we believe that we have anywhere from 1000 to 1300 stores that could be converted to SuperCenters.”

Kmart has also been introducing its “Store Within a Store” concept shops, which integrate the SuperCenter concept into the existing space of a Big Kmart store. These shops have opened or will open in Caguas, P.R.; North Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and South Anchorage, Alaska; Rogers, Ark.; Auburn Hills, Utica and Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and Middletown, N.Y.