Best Brands Plus to Open in Southtown
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Du Quoin Sears owner Mike Marchetti is ending his 10-year licensing agreement with Sears to become a dealer for the popular Best Brands Plus buying group.
Chicago-based Sears is said to be trying to identify a new location to continue operating in Du Quoin, but no information is available at this writing.
While Sears is one of the nation's historic nameplates, Marchetti says in recent months he has found a way to provide better value and improve customer service through an affiliation with Best Brands Plus.
The company is a subsidiary of the Mega Buying Group, organized by many of the same executives who sit on the boards of some of the nation's most popular home centers.
"What this company does is go to the appliance manufacturers and obtain the same price that places like Lowes gets," he said. "They pass that savings onto their customers," he said.
Marchetti said the two things that appeal to him about the new relationship with Best Brands Plus are: 1. lower prices on name brand appliances that will include Whirlpool, Maytag, Kitchen Aid, Estate, Frigidaire and Fisher Pykel, and 2. immediate in-store and at-home service after the sale. Marchetti said the Du Quoin store will inventory parts for most major appliances and in the rare cases that the service department does not have the parts they will be overnighted for installation as soon as they arrive.
When Mike and Laura Marchetti opened the Du Quoin Sears store 10 years ago, they made a promise to provide complete customer care and they have certainly done that within the Sears parameters, but he says he sees a nationwide erosion of that caring and he refuses to be part of it. Marchetti told the newspaper during an interview on Friday that when customers need service, they want it now. "They can't wait a week or three weeks," he said.
He said that under his old operating agreement he often-times had to reconcile what Sears could do and the immediate needs of his customers. And, many of the Kenmore appliances are manufactured by the companies that Marchetti will represent. His service department will provide service for not only Kenmore appliances, but much of the Craftsman power equipment line.
Many of the Craftsman products are manufactured by American Yard Products, Inc. which also manufactures Poulan Pro, which will be sold in the new store. "Both are identical except for the color and the name," he said. Most parts are interchangeable. The store will also sell upscale Husqvarna tractors and zero turns and Country Clipper zero turn mowing equipment
"Parts will be cheaper. Service will be cheaper and better," he said. Best Brands Plus even has a maintenance agreement rebate program. Maintenance agreements will not only be affordable, but they provide for a rebate of up to half the value of the service agreement if no service has been necessary during the life of the agreement.
Marchetti understands that Sears and its nameplates have a large following. He doesn't want to undermine that. Yet, he believes that for the hundreds of customers he has across Southern Illinois, this is a better way.
For a two-week period beginning January 17th Marchetti will begin transitioning away from Sears to become part of Best Brands Plus--in the same location in the Southtown Shopping Center.
Best Brands Plus will accept Visa, Mastercard (including Sears Mastercard), Discover and American Express. You can also access a new Best Brands Plus credit card. Best Brands Plus will continue to have no interest, no payments and delivery rebates, and will also now offer 90 days same as cash to those who qualify.
Marchetti will also continue relationships through advertising and circular inserts to promote the store's products and services. You can contact Marchetti any time at the same location.
In the near future the telephone number will change to 542-9475.