Steve Kernkraut Quotations

They must do something that's going to leverage traffic in the mall. They can't get totally away from fashion. They've got to come up with something else whether its making the jewelry area bigger or making the denim area bigger.

They reported much better earnings than we suspected. It was all based on Fingerhut being better than plan. Department stores were actually below plan, so the quality of that (earnings) improvement reflects better delinquency rates than anticipated.

I think the retail sector is a great sector to buy because they don't have any of these Asian flu syndrome. I mean, all the things that are happening in Asia right now are positive to retailers because a lot of these retailers -- their cost will go down and they'll be able to bring goods into the United States at a lower...cost basis.

Any business they do on the Internet is going to be very profitable for them. They have the infrastructure. They don't have to create it. And additionally, the profit margins on their bras and underwear and lingerie are spectacular, while the other e-commerce companies have very narrow margins.

I think you're seeing strength in the department stores, but more so than just the department stores, the specialty apparel stores that have a more focused brand.

The September numbers were generally on track, there were pockets of strength and there were some weaknesses. The numbers overall were not horrendous, but overall certainly the outlook could have more of a negative backlash from the higher oil prices.

Alan is a proven winner in every business he's been involved in. He's turned around Sears credit, he's taken charge of their Internet business and given it life, and he's been able to reorganize their home-services business. Probably the best part about him is he's coming into his position as CEO and he understands how CEOs work, but he doesn't have the emotional bias. He can make a kind of fair assessment about what the customer likes and what he doesn't.

Most stores are filled with polar fleece and sweaters, but in 85-degree heat when people are wearing shorts, it's hard to sell those items.

I think they made a lot of fashion changes, but there's been a general malaise in women's fashion apparel. What's somewhat concerning here is that Nordstrom has transitioned totally to fall earlier. Is their fashion not on target, or is the consumer really concerned about the rising gas prices?

I think they're only in the first or second inning of a turnaround. They've done a miraculous job, but I think there's much more to come.