KUKUI GROVE — Sears’ electronics department debuted a new look Thursday after an extended closure. The goods were relocated to the west side of the mall from the store on the east. The new electronics department is approximately two and
KUKUI GROVE — Sears’ electronics department debuted a new look Thursday after an extended closure. The goods were relocated to the west side of the mall from the store on the east.
The new electronics department is approximately two and a half times bigger than the previous one, expanding from approximately 1,300 square feet of retail space to 4,000 square feet.
Sears Manager Robert Keller said the expansion allows the store to have home-theater setups properly demonstrated for customers. For gaming enthusiasts, the new department has quadrupled its game display space. And the store is partnering with Oceanic Time Warner in putting up a display centering around the conversion of analog television to digital which should take place in early 2009, Keller said.
The store will also have mattresses and bed displays open by next week, and in the near future, a line of baby furniture will take up a portion of the store as well. Small appliances, vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens will round out the offerings.
At the eastern Sears building, the tools and garden sections will be expanded in time for the store’s grand re-opening on Sept. 27.
Similar to other shopping areas feeling the pinch as the local economy contracts, Kukui Grove Marketing Director Jonelle Kaohelauli‘i said the mall has been working to make the shopping experience more worthwhile. The shuttle service to both the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club and the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort has expanded.
Kaohelauli‘i said that while shoppers are making fewer trips to the mall, the amount they spend is still the same.
