Alan Lacy, ceo of Sears Roebuck and Co. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) has acknowledged the failure of Lands’ End apparel to attract shoppers in lower-income, multicultural markets.
According to a report in The Chicago Sun-Times, these urban shoppers — Sears’ largest customer base — have either not heard of Lands’ End or don’t care for its preppy fashion.
Lands’ End’s target market has always been 35-55-year-olds with a yearly income of more than $75,000 and, in many cases, a graduate degree. In January 2004, Lacy said Sears would tailor its Lands’ End clothing line (which the retailer acquired in 2002) for its stores’ different ethnic, regional and income groups. But the acknowledged oversight has led to inventory problems despite impressive sales growth. Sales of Lands’ End products grew 20 percent last year from the year before.