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To: Walkingshadow who wrote (8496)	1/5/2001 12:08:04 AM
From: Boplicity	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 13572

Thanks, I beginning to wonder if anyone's was ever a bull on SI and has been investing for more then 10 years. I see you have been investing for more then ten years and we are both the same age. So, you have been around and through some recessions. When was the last time you where fully bullish? Greg

To: Walkingshadow who wrote (8496)	1/5/2001 1:15:41 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 13572

WS...... Sears to Close 89 Stores, Cut 2,400 Jobs HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (Reuters) - Sears Roebuck and Co. (S.N) said on Thursday that domestic sales in December fell about 1.1 percent due to general industry softness and difficult weather conditions and it will close 89 stores and eliminate 2,400 jobs, less than one percent of the work force. Sears, which operates about 860 full-line stores and more than 2,100 retail specialty outlets, said the closings of underperforming stores will take place in the first quarter. The stores include 53 NTB auto parts stores, 30 hardware stores and four full-line stores, two of which include Sears Auto Centers. As a result, Sears, the second-largest U.S. retailer behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N), said it would cut about 2,400 jobs, or less than 1 percent of its 315,000-strong employee base. The company also said it will take fourth-quarter pretax charges of $150 million related to asset write-downs, severance and other exit costs. It also said it will take a $115 million charge related to its pest control business, a noncore operation for which it is evaluating strategic options. Although the move to close stores can rouse suspicion that a company could be in trouble, analysts said that the decision by Sears to close its underperforming stores was a move in the right direction for the retailer, which is based in Hoffman Estates, Ill. "The Sears store closings basically reflect (Chief Executive) Alan Lacy's commitment to improve shareholder value through streamlining businesses when needed," said Jeff Feiner, retail analyst with Lehman Brothers. "It's very positive on the part of this new management team, and the long-term benefits are having the company have a much more profitable base of stores and that's what the goal has been," Feiner said. Lacy came on board as the new chief executive of Sears last September, promising to take a long, hard look at the company's retail operations, which have lagged in profit and sales expectations for the past three years. Investors also seemed to raise a hand in favor of the move, as Sears shares rose 1.1 percent, or about 40 cents, to close at $36.43 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. "Our actions reflect our heightened focus on productivity and returns," Lacy said in a statement. "We will continue to identify opportunities to more effectively deploy resources and enhance overall company profitability." The company also said that, in addition to the 1.1 percent drop in sales at stores opened at least a year, its total domestic sales revenues for December fell 0.1 percent to $4.422 billion from $4.426 billion a year earlier. Total December revenues were $5.612 billion, up 0.4 percent from the $5.587 billion in 1999.