History UsefulNotes / KMart

[=TVTropes=] has an article about Kmart? Yes, Kmart. [[note]]"Kmart? Yes, Kmart" was a UsefulNotes/{{Trademark}} the company used for a while during the 1990s.[[/note]]

* Photo website Flickr hosts [[https://www.flickr.com/groups/876282@N25/pool/ a group devoted to chronicling the history of the brand]], with [[TheWikiRule users submitting]] over [[ArchivePanic 25,000 pictures]]. It appeals both to the nostalgia factor, and to the kind of people who take an interest in {{Abandoned Area}}s.

* A ConspiracyTheorist[=/=]InternetJerk who managed to turn TalkAboutTheWeather into a series of [[IllKillYou death]] [[IneffectualDeathThreat threats]], doxxings, and other sustained harassment campaigns got the nickname K-Mart in any discussion of him. This was done in order to prevent him from Googling his own name and harassing anyone discussing his multiple failed weather predictions, his scientific illiteracy, and his use of YouCanPanicNow to gain attention and web traffic.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; with the rapid number of closures post 2019 becoming such that the number of remaining locations is difficult to keep exact tabs on, though [[https://bigfrog104.com/last-kmart-in-new-york/ one source has a count of approximately 10 as of January 2022]]. By February 2022, that number had apparently [[https://www.inquirer.com/business/retail/kmart-closing-last-stores-new-jersey-americana-20220220.html dwindled to four]]. And in April 2022, [[https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-city-new-york-new-jersey-lifestyle-9e06f958526665df9f7c9422f67516ef it became three]].

One particularly noteworthy sales gimmick was Kmart's so-called "Blue Light Specials", surprise 15-minute in-store sales offering deep discounts on various items. These were announced with an actual flashing blue police light (which could be moved around the store to the location of the sale item) and the memorable CatchPhrase, "[[MemeticMutation Attention, Kmart shoppers]]! There's a Blue Light Special." These proved so popular with bargain-hunters that at one point Kmart's mascot was a talking blue light bulb named "Mr. Blue Light." Though the sales were officially discontinued in the early 1990s, they have been UnCancelled several times, most recently in [[http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-kmart-bluelight-specials-1103-biz-20151102-story.html 2015]].

Kmart was still successful throughout the 1980s, peaking at over 2,000 stores. Unfortunately, Kmart fell to a rather distant third place in the discounter race by the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 21st century. This was mainly due to competition from Walmart and Target, the rise of online retailers, outdated stores (many of their stores still featured points-of-sale and stocking systems from the 1980s if not earlier), poor location build-out (piloting smaller stores in rural areas and buying locations out from rivals left them with a very scattered and inconsistent store base; although they tried to alleviate this with relocations in the early-90s, many were too little, too late), deranged leadership, and general incompetence. The chain underwent rounds of closures in 1994 and 1995 to shed some less profitable locations, in addition to dropping every non-Kmart division. This included all of their locations in Mexico, Canada (sold to Zellers in 1998; they then sold to Target in 2013 and failed, closing in 2015), and Australia (which still operates independently of the parent company). They also dumped a myriad of related chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; home improvement store Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995; continued to hold its own until merging with Office Depot in 2013, though both nameplates are still in use[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1996; West Coast Rite Aid stores continue to offer Payless's Thrifty Ice Cream[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with massive debts in a 2007 management buyout; went under in 2016[[/note]]. Although Kmart tried to freshen up some stores with a "Big Kmart" prototype that featured a small selection of foods and other merchandise, it did little to reverse the start of the decline.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; with the rapid number of closures post 2019 becoming such that the number of remaining locations is difficult to keep exact tabs on, though [[https://bigfrog104.com/last-kmart-in-new-york/ one source has a count of approximately 10 as of January 2022]]. By February 2022, that number had apparently [[https://www.inquirer.com/business/retail/kmart-closing-last-stores-new-jersey-americana-20220220.html dwindled to four]].

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; with the rapid number of closures post 2019 becoming such that the number of remaining locations is difficult to keep exact tabs on, though [[https://bigfrog104.com/last-kmart-in-new-york/ one source has a count of approximately 10 as of January 2022]].

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020;

The chain eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by 2000, coinciding with their newly-renovated "Big K" stores (which was around the same time they stopped upgrading their equipment -- seriously, it's like stepping into 1993). Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place behind UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} and Target in the discounter race, namely due to competition from online retailers, being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, deranged leadership[[note]]Eddie "[[SmallNameBigEgo New Warren Buffett]]" "[[PointyHairedBoss Crazy Eddie]]" "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Rolex Watch]]" Lampert[[/note]], and general incompetence. It also saw the loss of its Canadian locations in 1998 to rival Zellers (which itself was sold to Kmart rival Target in 2013, only for the now-Target Canada to be so poorly run that it was shut down in 2015). The chain also axed all of its Mexico locations in the '90s, and spun off its Australian division to different owners. However, the largest and most profitable one remains on the island of Guam.

In 2005, it merged with Sears and began carrying Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Kmart had seen a bit of resurgence with its "Shop Your Way Rewards" program, in which membership is free and members receive points on every purchase made good for future purchases. Those who sign up for e-mail receive a number of pretty big discount offers, as well as the chance to enter contests for more points. They also have the option of dispensing with a paper receipt and instead having it all e-mailed. Of course, these days, though, there's not much point in being part of a rewards program if you don't have somewhere to earn and spend it and what mileage Kmart had earned from the program has faded because of this.

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995; continued to hold its own until merging with Office Depot in 2013, though both nameplates are still in use[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1996; West Coast Rite Aid stores continue to offer Payless's Thrifty Ice Cream[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with massive debts in a 2007 management buyout; went under in 2016[[/note]].

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; with closures adding rapidly to the point that by August 2021; Kmart had withered down to 20 stores per their store locator - with their Astor Place location in Manhattan closing in July and two California locations shutting down later in the month to drop them down to a paltry 17 stores, a mere fraction of the more than 2,000 stores from the early 1980s.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; leaving the chain with a paltry 43 stores, a mere fraction of the more than 2,000 stores from the early 1980s.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', socially awkward station manager Kenny complains that he doesn't like to shop for lingerie for his wife because the store mannequins are too sexy. Roz thinks he's talking about Victoria's Secret; he's actually thinking of Kmart.

* A ConspiracyTheorist[=/=]InternetToughGuy who managed to turn TalkAboutTheWeather into a series of [[IllKillYou death]] [[IneffectualDeathThreat threats]], doxxings, and other sustained harassment campaigns got the nickname K-Mart in any discussion of him. This was done in order to prevent him from Googling his own name and harassing anyone discussing his multiple failed weather predictions, his scientific illiteracy, and his use of YouCanPanicNow to gain attention and web traffic.

* Supposedly, in the original airing of the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Brian in Love", Brian accidentally urinates while at the supermarket, prompting Peter to ask him "Where do you think you are? Kmart?", to which was changed to Payless in later airings and on the Volume One DVD release. This has been debunked as a recording of the original airing has been uploaded, and it doesn't feature the "Kmart" line that's been rumored for so long [[https://1drv.ms/f/s!ArLllC183wYybCBOVf9FdwYkphk (There's even a picture in the folder that shows the captions saying "Payless")]].

The first Kmart (or K-Mart, as it was then known) opened in the Detroit suburb of Garden City in 1962[[note]]that location remained open until a string of closings in early 2017 claimed that store as a casualty[[/note]], followed by a second in Pontiac, Michigan mere months later[[note]]closed in the early 1990s[[/note]]. Expansion was rampant throughout the end of TheEighties, causing the then Kresge Corporation to kill off the dime stores entirely in 1987 and officially change the company name to Kmart. Other dime store chains began to play FollowTheLeader and open their own massive discount stores: F. W. Woolworth company launched Woolco, J. J. Newberry attempted with Britt's, and W. T. Grant with Grant City. Many of the competitors were largely unsuccessful in the long run, and their demise gave plenty of fodder for fast expansion. Early Kmart stores were often paired with grocery stores called "Kmart Foods" which were often supplied by local grocery chains, although these died out early on.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 214 stores as of the second quarter of 2019 but as part of a string of closings announced in late August 2019 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 38 states while being set to drop to 57 stores by April 2020. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

** Music/{{Eminem}}'s 2004 song "Rain Man" includes the line "Definitely... K-Mart" as a double reference.

* In ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'', S-Mart is a parody of K-Mart.

-->''"[[TheStinger ...K-Mart is the saving place!]]"''

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019 and a series of additional closures announced in late 2019 and early 2020; leaving the chain with a paltry 57 stores, a mere fraction of the more than 2,000 stores from the early 1980s.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 214 stores as of the second quarter of 2019 but as part of a string of closings announced in late August 2019 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 27 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Mississippi (Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing; while the latter 5 states were added to the list late in 2018 as Sears Holdings flirted with liquidation before a last-minute offer by Eddie Lampert was approved in January 2019), Connecticut (the Watertown location which until 2018 was one of the last two locations still using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#/media/File:Kmart_original_logo.png classic logo]]), Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia (all of these states having been vacated as part of the August 29, 2019 mass closing announcement)[[/note]] set to drop to 114 stores. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company [=TransformCo=] Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019, announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019; leaving the chain with a paltry 114 stores, a mere fraction of the more than 2,000 stores from the early 1980s.

* In ''Film/TroopBeverlyHills'', Velda threatens Annie over her having to go back working at K-Mart if she doesn't cooperate. Then Velda is [[DefeatMeansMenialLabor forced to work there]] after she gets fired from the Wilderness Girls, including [[IronicEcho saying the very line she threatened Annie with]]

--> '''Velda:''' Attention K-Mart shoppers. Blue light special, aisle 13. (beeeep) Cookies!

The chain eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by 2000, coinciding with their newly-renovated "Big K" stores (which was around the same time they stopped upgrading their equipment -- seriously, it's like stepping into 1993). Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place in the discounter race, namely due to being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, deranged leadership[[note]]Eddie "[[SmallNameBigEgo New Warren Buffett]]" "[[PointyHairedBoss Crazy Eddie]]" "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Rolex Watch]]" Lampert[[/note]], and general incompetence. It also saw the loss of its Canadian locations in 1998 to rival Zellers (which itself was sold to Kmart rival Target in 2013, only for the now-Target Canada to be so poorly run that it was shut down in 2015). The chain also axed all of its Mexico locations in the '90s, and spun off its Australian division to different owners. However, the largest and most profitable one remains on the island of Guam.

Kmart is a discount store located in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In the US, for several decades peaking in UsefulNotes/TheEighties and [[UsefulNotes/TheNineties Early '90s]], it was a staple of [[BoringButPractical reasonably-priced no-nonsense merchandise]] geared toward middle-class shoppers. In the latter two countries, it's a low, low, ''low''-end discount store licensing the name.

* YouTube channel Company Man has a video on 'The Fall of Kmart, what happened?" whovh can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__Qg1toSSs here].

* In ''Film/TroopBeverlyHills'', Velda threatens Annie over her having to go back working at K-Mart if she doesn't cooperate. Then Velda is [[DefeatMeansMenialLabor forced to work there]] after she gets fired from the Wilderness Girls, including [[IronicEcho saying the very line she threatened Annie with]].

In October 2018, Sears Holdings (Kmart's parent company) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; with new holding company TransformCo Holdings acquiring the chain at the last moment in early 2019. Kmart's condition effectively remained stable until the aforementioned August 29, 2019 announcement of 77 store closures by December 2019; leaving the chain with a paltry 114 stores, a mere fraction of the roughly 2000+ stores from the early 1980s.

The first Kmart (or K-Mart, as it was then known) opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1962[[note]]that location remained open until a string of closings in early 2017 claimed that store as a casualty[[/note]]. The chain eventually reached a peak of 2,000 stores by 2000, coinciding with their newly-renovated "Big K" stores (which was around the same time they stopped upgrading their equipment -- seriously, it's like stepping into 1993). Unfortunately, Kmart has fallen to a rather distant third place in the discounter race, namely due to being behind on remodeling, poor location build-out, deranged leadership[[note]]Eddie "[[SmallNameBigEgo New Warren Buffett]]" "[[PointyHairedBoss Crazy Eddie]]" "[[ConvenienceStoreGiftShopping Rolex Watch]]" Lampert[[/note]], and general incompetence. It also saw the loss of its Canadian locations in 1998 to rival Zellers (which itself was sold to Kmart rival Target in 2013, only for the now-Target Canada to be so poorly run that it was shut down in 2015).

Kmart used to own several other chains: a supercenter called American Fare[[note]]which failed after only three stores, although the name lives on as one of Kmart's private brands[[/note]]; hardware superstore Builders Square[[note]]sold to Hechinger in 1997, closed in 1999[[/note]]; bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks[[note]]spun off into their own company which went under in 2011[[/note]]; office supply chain [=OfficeMax=][[note]]sold off in 1995; continued to hold its own until merging with Office Depot in 2013, though both nameplates are still in use[[/note]]; Pace Warehouse[[note]]a warehouse club similar to Sam's Club, to whom many locations were sold in 1993[[/note]]; Payless Drugs[[note]]sold off in 1994, bought out by Rite Aid in 1996; West Coast Rite Aid stores continue to offer Thrifty Ice Cream[[/note]]; and Sports Authority[[note]]sold off in 1995 and did well until being saddled with massive debts in a 2007 management buyout; went under in 2016[[/note]].

One particularly noteworthy sales gimmick was Kmart's so-called "Blue Light Specials", surprise 15-minute in-store sales offering deep discounts on various items. These were announced with an actual flashing blue police light (which could be moved around the store to the location of the sale item) and the memorable CatchPhrase, "[[MemeticMutation Attention, Kmart shoppers]]! There's a Blue Light Special in aisle 5." These proved so popular with bargain-hunters that at one point Kmart's mascot was a talking blue light bulb named "Mr. Blue Light." Though the sales were officially discontinued in the early 1990s, they have been UnCancelled several times, most recently in [[http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-kmart-bluelight-specials-1103-biz-20151102-story.html 2015]].

* An old ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' comic strip has Calvin's dad telling him he was a Blue Light Special from Kmart (cheaper than Sears, ironically from the same company nowadays).

* ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' once had a feature on [[FunWithAcronyms names turned into acronyms]]. [=KMart=], according to them, stood for '''K'''eeping '''M'''iddle '''A'''merica '''R'''eally '''T'''acky. It featured a customer buying a matching [=shoes/belt/watchband=] set and another one buying a fake jewel encrusted toilet seat.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 214 stores as of the second quarter of 2019 but as part of a string of closings announced in late August 2019 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 27 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Mississippi (Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing; while the latter 5 states were added to the list late in 2018 as Sears Holdings flirted with liquidation before a last-minute offer by Eddie Lampert was approved in January 2019), Connecticut[[note]]the Watertown location which until 2018 was one of the last two locations still using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#/media/File:Kmart_original_logo.png classic logo[[/note]], Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia (all of these states having been vacated as part of the August 29, 2019 mass closing announcement) set to drop to 114 stores. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.

Today, of course, Kmart is still going (but going nowhere), with around 214 stores as of the second quarter of 2019 but as part of a string of closings announced in late August 2019 (the last Kmart Super Center - in Warren, Ohio - closed in April 2018); with the chain having completely vacated or being soon to vacate 27 states[[note]]Rhode Island, Alabama, Vermont, Hawaii, Alaska (which saw its last stores close following Kmart's 2003 bankruptcy), Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Louisiana, Nebraska, Mississippi (Arkansas, Georgia and Kansas losing their remaining Kmart locations as a result of Sears Holdings' 2018 bankruptcy filing; while the latter 5 states were added to the list late in 2018 as Sears Holdings flirted with liquidation before a last-minute offer by Eddie Lampert was approved in January 2019), Connecticut[[note]]the Watertown location which until 2018 was one of the last two locations still using the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart#/media/File:Kmart_original_logo.png classic logo[[/note]], Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia (all of these states having been vacated as part of the August 29, 2019 mass closing announcement)[[/note]] set to drop to 114 stores. In 2005, it merged with Sears and now carries Sears' Craftsman and Kenmore brands, although not power tools or heavy appliances at most locations. Some of the stores are merely maintained for the real estate between them (the impetus for the Sears merger) and close when inevitably the land price becomes higher than maintaining a store there; for instance, the Kmart near Green Bay, Wisconsin's Lambeau Field happily closed when the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Packers]] offered a mint to the company for the land.