Sears And Urban Outfitters Are Trying To Buy J.Crew

Bloomberg reports that both Sears and Urban Outfitters are interested in purchasing J.Crew. Both companies have been poking around J.Crew's books to see if making an offer is a good idea. If either company makes a bid, it would have to be on paper before Jan. 15.


Sears buying the clothing chain “would be great for Sears, but horrible for J. Crew,” said Christine Chen, a San Francisco-based analyst for Needham & Co. “J. Crew is positioned as aspirational and Sears is not. It would have a negative impact on the J. Crew brand.” A J. Crew-Urban Outfitters tie-up would make less sense because the two companies have overlapping customers (ditto).