Sears

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Sears, Roebuck and Company is an American department store chain. Sears was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in 1866. It operates full-line Sears stores which sell clothing, electronics and hardware, as well as Sears Hometown Dealers, smaller-line and often rural stores which sell only electronics and home goods. The company also owns Kmart, several of which have been turned into Sears Grand stores. Formerly based at the Sears Tower in Chicago and currently headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, the operation began as a mail ordering catalog company and began opening retail locations in 1925. The first location was in Evansville, Indiana. In 2005, the company was bought by the management of the American big box chain Kmart, which formed Sears Holdings upon completion of the merger.

The company operated in Canada as Sears Canada and in Mexico as Sears Roebuck de México.

Sears had the largest domestic revenue of any retailer in the United States until October 1989, when Walmart surpassed it. In 2018, Sears was the 31st-largest retailer in the United States. After several years of declining sales, its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018. Sears announced on January 16, 2019 that it had won its bankruptcy auction and would shrink and remain open with about 400 stores. As of 2023 Sears has 12 stores left.

History[]

Former Sears logo

Sears was founded by Sears as a catalog business. After Sears saw a success with the catalogs, he founded the Sears department chain in 1925. After that, Sears expanded to greater heights. In the 30s, they founded Kenmore and Craftsman, along with Allstate. In the 1950s, Sears started the Homart Development Company, which built malls. Sears had become the largest retailer, loved for its design. They later purchased Dean Witter and Coldwell Banker. In 1985, Sears started the Discover card. Unfortunately, the chain had lost their customers in the 90s. Walmart surpassed them as the number one retailer in 1990. Sears spun off everything that did not have to do with retailing. However, they purchased Orchard Supply Hardware and started The Great Indoors.

Sears-Kmart merger[]

In the early 2000s, Sears had been doing bad, as well as future sister chain Kmart. Kmart went bankrupt in 2002, so Edward Lampert bought Kmart. Kmart acquired Sears and merged them. However, sales have dropped, specifically after the merger. So far the future of Sears is not known.

Exterior Of A Former Sears At Six Corners On Irving Park Road In Chicago, Illinois, Which Opened In 1938 And Closed In July 2018 — Exterior of a former Sears at Six Corners on Irving Park Road in Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1938 and closed in July 2018.

Store Concepts[]

Current[]

Sears - department store. Sears Stores usually located in shopping malls, however, some freestanding stores exist; they carry clothing, accessories, jewelry, home appliances, household hardware, lawn and garden supplies, lawn mowers, paint, sporting goods, automobile repair, and electronics, as well as a portrait studio (in some locations), optical center, and dental center. Sears stores are usually multi-level, averaging 139,000 sq ft (12,900 m²). As of November 3, 2018, there were 409 full-size Sears stores in the United States. There are also 94 in Mexico.

Exterior Of A Sears Grand At Cape West Plaza In Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Sears Grand - hypermarket. Typically located away from shopping malls (with the exception of Gurnee Mills, Gurnee, Illinois, which closed in September 2018, and formerly Pittsburgh Mills, Tarentum, Pennsylvania, which closed in January 2015). Many Sears Grand locations were retrofit remodels of existing Kmart stores after the merger. They carry everything a Sears department store carries, plus health and beauty products, a pharmacy (in former Kmart locations), toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, home décor, pet food, cards and party supplies, books, magazines, music, movies, and a selection of groceries which is limited mostly to dry goods. Sears Grand stores range from 165,000 to 210,000 square feet (15,300 to 19,500 m²). The first Sears Grand opened at Jordan Landing in West Jordan, Utah in 2003. At 225,000 square feet (20,900 m²), the Jordan Landing store was the largest in the chain until it was remodeled, downsized, and converted to a regular Sears in 2017 and closed in November 2018. Some other Sears Grands have downsized and converted to regular Sears or Kmart locations, but a few Sears Grands are still operating, such as Cape West Plaza in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Exterior Of A Sears Appliance And Hardware In Portage, Indiana, Which Opened In 2001

Sears Appliance & Hardware - hardware store. At one point, there were more than 110 Sears Appliance & Hardware stores averaging 28,000 square feet (2,600 m²) serving customers nationwide; there are now 19 of them. Stores were expanded to include Sears' full line of appliances in 2005. Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores took on Sears Appliance & Hardware in a Spin-off from Sears Holdings in 2012.

Exterior Of A Sears Essentials In Warren, Michigan

Sears Home Appliance Showroom - appliance store

The Current Largest Sears At Woodfield Mall

Sears Home & Lifestyle - A new prototype format used at three locations that opened in 2019.

Former[]

Sears Essentials - discount chain that were common retrofit remodels of existing Kmart stores. Their product lines were similar to that of Sears Grand stores. In 2006, Sears dropped the brand as it tried to turn Kmart stores into free standing Sears stores. Most of 50 buildings bearing its name were turned into Sears Grand Stores or reverted to Kmarts.

Sears HomeLife - Furniture and home decor store from 1997-2001. Usually located in an outparcel near a full line Sears store.

External links[]

Official website