Last modified: Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Media Alert
Expert available to discuss Kmart bankruptcy
EDITORS AND ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Theresa Williams, director of the Center for Education and Research in Retailing at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, tracks and analyzes major retailing events, such as Kmart's announcement of bankruptcy on Jan. 22. She is able to speak to several aspects of the industry including Wall Street's reaction to retailers, retail business models, and the competitive arena among and between retail formats.
According to Williams, "Kmart's filing is not necessarily a surprise; their problems are not new. They had a brush with bankruptcy in 1994-95. But since (Charles) Conaway's arrival at the CEO position in 2000, there had been an accepted turnaround plan put into place. What is somewhat surprising is the rate of decline in confidence over the past three to four weeks from Wall Street, suppliers and Kmart's board of directors. If Kmart is able to survive reconstruction under Chapter 11, it must stabilize their relationships, especially with key brands such as Martha Stewart, Flemming and Sesame Street."
The Center for Education and Research in Retailing develops teaching materials and sponsors programs that increase awareness about careers in retailing, and stimulates the creation and dissemination of innovative research approaches to business challenges facing retailers.
Williams can be reached at 812-855-1289 or thdwilli@indiana.edu. Please note that her first name is pronounced Thuh-REES-uh.
