Kmart was founded in 1899 by Sebastian S. Kresge and throughout the 20th century became one of the top discount retailers in the nation. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1925 under the symbol KM, and it officially changed its name from S.S. Kresge Company to Kmart in 1977. Kmart experienced tremendous growth for its first 100 years of existence and opened well over 2000 stores. The name "Kmart", the big red "K" symbol, and the term "blue light special" are icons in the discount retail industry .
             While Kmart does not provide a mission statement per se, their vision is to dominate the discount retail services industry by maximizing their performance and improving their market share position through a continuing focus on price, quality, service, product assortment and convenience . Kmart sells a variety of products and services, and primarily targets urban and suburban areas, currently operating in 314 of 331 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States. Throughout its 100+ years of existence Kmart has become a household name in the U.S. and has also expanded to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Over the past decade or so, Kmart has established partnerships that have provided exclusive rights to carry popular brands. In 1997, Martha Stewart's Home and Everyday Living lines were launched exclusively at Kmart. Martha Stewart was, and still is for the most part, a very popular and talented home decorator and one of the most well known figures in the media. Kmart also initiated partnerships with Sesame Street, Joe Boxer, Kathy Ireland, Jaclyn Smith, American Greetings, Olan Mills, and others . Having exclusive rights to popular brands has become an important trend among discount retailers, as evidenced by similar partnerships that Wal-Mart and Target have initiated and relied on for good positioning and sales in recent years . Not only do such arrangements attract m...