SEARS LUMPS HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICE UNDER ONE BANNER
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Sears Canada has put all of its home improvement services under one banner called Sears HomeCentral. The retailer's home improvement services include appliance repair, home renovations, heating and cooling services and carpet cleaning. To promote all the services, Sears has launched a 1-800 number that consumers can call to take care of all their home improvement needs, instead of calling different contractors. The toll-free number will be open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. In addition, Sears will begin opening floor covering stores later this year and hopes to have up to three outlets open by the end of the year. The national retailer plans to open 30 floor covering stores in 1999. Under the plan, Sears will license existing independent floor covering dealers across the country to operate as Sears partners under the name, Sears Floor Covering Centre. The retailer will promote Sears HomeCentral using print, TV, radio and Internet ads. Print ads for Sears are handled in-house, while radio and TV ads are created by Young & Rubicam of Toronto. Sears also plans to increase its ad spending on its home improvement services next year by 20%, then by 10% each year as the business grows.