We found this article yesterday in the Baltimore Sun interesting. Apparently Sears, the owner of clothier Lands' End since 2002, is stepping up its display of that apparel line by opening large ministores.At one Sears department store, in a Maryland mall, Lands' End already as a 24,000-sf ministore. There are currently seven of these larger Lands' End stores across the country, according to the article, which says versions half the size started rolling out three years ago.The store-within-a-store concept is nothing new, across all retail sectors. Just today J. C. Penney announced the launch of a new apparel brand, American Living, that will have its own spaces in its department stores. There are also Sephora cosmetics stores in JCPenney locations. Office Depots are in Albertsons grocery stores. Spas are opening in Whole Foods units.But Sears has had issues for a while now. Will these larger Lands' End displays help lagging sales in department stores, or are the chain's problems too large?

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