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(West Jordan-AP) -- Customers forced the first-in-the-nation Sears Grande to open a day early.
With 100 early-bird shoppers lining up for a peek at fully stocked shelves, Sears, Roebuck & Company decided to throw open the doors for three hours late in the afternoon before an unadvertised "soft" opening for its new concept store in West Jordan.
Teresa Byrd, Sears vice president for merchandise, was extremely pleased with sales on the first full day of business Saturday but declined to reveal figures.
At Sears Grande, shoppers can buy a refrigerator and the stuff to put inside it: milk, juice, ice cream and frozen pizza.
It has a ten-bay auto shop, a plant nursery and an assortment of nails, screws, bolts and hangers rivaling Home Depot's.
Analysts say Sears has a lot riding on this new concept. For years the struggling retailer has been losing market share to big-box competitors such as Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Lowe's and Bed, Bath & Beyond -- all of which surround Sears Grand in West Jordan.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
