According To Poll, Shoppers Less Likely To Buy Mar

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. According To Poll, Shoppers Less Likely To Buy Mar
According To Poll, Shoppers Less Likely To Buy Mar
New York, NY, July 23--Martha Stewart's customers are losing some of their appetite for her home decorating products as her trial on obstruction of justice charges draws nearer and her image comes under greater scrutiny, a poll released on Tuesday showed. A survey of 1,000 consumers by America's Research Group showed that 28.6 percent of them were less likely to buy Martha Stewart brand products since the lifestyle trendsetter was indicted on June 4 on charges she interfered with a probe into her ImClone Systems Inc. stock sale. That compared with a poll a year earlier, after news of the ImClone scandal broke, in which 17.8 percent of respondents said they would shy away from Martha Stewart products, sold at U.S. discount chain Kmart Holding Corp. The new poll bolstered expectations that Stewart's brand would suffer from its close identification with her persona as she battles to clear her name in court. The poll was conducted earlier this month and had a 4.3 percent margin of error. In June, Stewart pleaded not guilty to the charges. She has stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. and is due to go to trial next January. "Until this case is resolved, I think her (consumer confidence) numbers are going to stay at this same level or get worse," said Britt Beemer, head of America's Research Group, which conducts surveys to track U.S. consumer trends. "Brands that never came back had a 40 percent or higher (consumer confidence) negative," Beemer said. "Once 40 percent of Americans say they won't buy your product, it's over." Stewart is also coming under greater scrutiny, according to the survey. Some 53 percent of people polled said they have been following her case since the indictment versus 39 percent who said they kept track of the affair one year ago. Representatives for Martha Stewart Living and Kmart were not immediately available for comment on the poll. Kmart launched the Martha Stewart Everyday line in 1997, and carries exclusively merchandise ranging from pillowcases to patio furniture. The companies signed a seven-year marketing deal in June 2001, shortly before Kmart declared bankruptcy. Kmart emerged from bankruptcy protection in May, but the company has closed some 600 of its 2,100 stores, which hurt sales of Martha Stewart goods.