they've pretty much been watching paint dry.
this from the shos annual report:
The majority of our Hometown stores are operated by our dealers and franchisees. SHO provides brand and marketing support and inventory on consignment. We initiated efforts to franchise Outlet stores in 2012, with the first stores transferred to franchisees during the 2013 fiscal year. Since the second quarter of 2015, franchising of additional Hometown and Outlet stores except to existing Company franchisees has been suspended by the Company. We pay our dealers and franchisees commissions based on their net sales of our inventory that we consign to them. We also authorize our dealers and franchisees to sell post-sale services, such as extended-service plans, for which we also pay commissions.
if eddie is successful in acquiring the remaining shares of shos, he will probably start franchising the outlet stores again.
after he monetizes and downsizes the stores he bought from shc/shldq as part of the $5.2 billion asset purchase last february and if he continues with the shos model, he will probably also franchise the downsized stores he "creates".
that way, as time goes on, eddie will not retain any of the sears "employees" who came over to him as part of the package deal for sears' assets.
look at his structure now. he doesn't have the headache/responsibility which goes along with being an employer. he's fighting in court now to avoid the severance payments he agreed to make. also, he only agreed to keep the sears employees he "took on" through the end of the 2020 fiscal year which i believe ends in february 2020.
so, eddie will, in one way or the other, get rid of the sears employees for which he is currently responsible just like he will leave behind not only his shldq common stock but all other shldq stockholders as well.
this seems to be what eddie does. for those who can't smell the coffee brewing, maybe the stronger smell of dung will get your attention.
