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Subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation
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1886 ( Chicago, Illinois , USA )
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Hoffman Estates, Illinois , USA
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There's A Whole Lot More For Your Life At Sears
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$236 Billion
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Retail
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Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, appliances, housewares, tools, and electronics
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wwwsearscom
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is an
American mid-range chain of
International Department Store s, founded by
Richard Sears and
Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century. It operates in
Canada under
Sears Canada and Mexico under
Sears Mexico . From its
Mail Order beginnings, the company grew to become the largest
Retailer in the United States by the mid-20th century, and its catalogs became famous. Competition and changes in the demographics of its customer base challenged the company after World War II as its rural and inner city strongholds shrank and the suburban markets grew. Eventually its catalog program was largely discontinued. Sears merged with
Kmart in early
2005 , creating the
Sears Holdings Corporation .
The largest Sears store in the world, operated by Sears Canada, is 817,850 square feet, in the
Toronto Eaton Centre . The largest American store is located at
Woodfield Mall in
Schaumburg, Illinois , a
Suburb of
Chicago . It has 416,000 square feet of retail space.
]]
In
1886 , the
United States contained only thirty-eight states. Many people lived in rural areas and relied on agriculture. For many Americans, a single
General Store was their source of supplies. Merchandise went through many wholesalers on the way to the retail outlet, not an inexpensive method of handling. Many general stores received their shipments of merchandise through the growing network of
Railroad s.
Richard Sears was a railroad station agent in
North Redwood, Minnesota when he received a shipment of watches from a Chicago jeweler which were unwanted by a local jeweler. Sears purchased them himself, sold the watches at a nice profit to other station agents up and down the line, and then ordered more for resale. Soon he started a business selling watches through
Mail Order catalogs. The next year, he moved to
Chicago, Illinois where he met
Alvah C. Roebuck , who joined him in the business. In
1893 , the corporate business name became .
until
1984 .]]
Richard Sears knew that farmers often brought their crops to town, where they could be sold and shipped. Before the Sears catalog, farmers typically bought supplies (often at very high prices) from local
General Store s. Sears took advantage of this by publishing his catalog with clearly stated prices, so that consumers could know what he was selling and at what price, and order and obtain them conveniently. The catalog business soon grew quickly. By
1894 , the Sears catalog had grown to 322 pages, featuring
Sewing Machine s,
Bicycle s,
Sporting Goods , and a host of other new items.
Organizing the company so it could handle orders on an economical and efficient basis, Chicago clothing manufacturer
Julius Rosenwald became a part-owner in
1895 . Alvah Roebuck had to resign soon after due to ill-health, but the company still retained his name. By the following year,
Doll s,
Refrigerator s,
Stoves and
Groceries had been added to the catalog.
Sears, Roebuck and Company soon developed a reputation for both quality products and customer satisfaction. By 1895, the company was producing a 532 page catalog with the largest variety of items that anybody back then could have thought of. “In 1893, the sales topped 400,000 dollars. Two years later they exceeded 750,000 dollars.”
In
1906 Sears opened its catalog plant which included the original Sears Tower pictured on this page. Book: Historic Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog Plant ISBN 0-7385-3977-5, opening date.
Selling, advertising, merchandising—these were Richard Sears' talents, not organizing the company so it could handle orders on an economical and efficient basis. That was left to Chicago clothing manufacturer
Julius Rosenwald , who bought into the company in 1895.
See Also: Sears Catalog Home
People had learned to trust Sears for other products bought mail-order, and thus, sight unseen. This laid important groundwork for supplying a home, possibly the largest single investment a typical family would ever make. In
1908 , the company began offering entire houses as kits, marketed as
Sears Modern Homes , and by the time the program ended in
1940 , over 100,000 had been sold.
at the former
Westwood Mall in
Houston ,
Texas ]]
The first Sears retail store opened in Chicago on
February 2 ,
1925 in the Merchandise building (in a portion of the company's headquarters at Homan Avenue and Arthington Street). This store included an optical shop and a soda fountain.
1 The first freestanding retail store opened
October 5 ,
1925 in
Evansville, Indiana .
2 During the summer of 1928 three more Chicago department stores opened, one on the north side at Lawrence and Winchester, a second on the south side at 79th and Kenwood, and the third at 62nd and Western. In 1929 Sears took over the department store business of Becker-Ryan Company. In 1933 Sears tore down the old Becker-Ryan Company store in Englewood, and built the first windowless department store, inspired by the 1932 Chicago World's Fair.
The Sears, Roebuck catalog was sometimes referred to as "the Consumers' Bible". The Christmas Catalog was known as the "Wish Book", perhaps because of the toys in it. The catalog also entered the language, particularly of rural dwellers, as a euphemism for toilet paper. In the days of outhouses and no readily available toilet paper, the pages of the mass-mailed catalog were used as toilet paper.
After
World War II , the company built many department stores in suburban
Shopping Mall s. The company was the largest retailer in the
United States until the early
1980s but had dropped significantly in rankings by the time it merged with Kmart.
The highest grossing Sears store in the World is located in
Puerto Rico .
Sears diversified and became a
Conglomerate during the mid-20th century. It established several major brands of products such as
Kenmore ,
Craftsman ,
DieHard , Silvertone (electronics) and
Tuff-skin . The company started the
Allstate Insurance Company back in
1931 , and had representatives operating in its stores as early as
1934 . It purchased
Dean Witter and
Coldwell Banker real estate in
1981 , and started what became
Prodigy as a joint venture with
IBM in
1984 . It also introduced the
Discover Credit Card in
1985 . During the late-1980s, and as late as
1993 , the Discover card was the only accepted credit card at many Sears retail locations.
Alvah Roebuck returned to the organization during the
Great Depression , and worked as a spokesperson until his death some years later. Part of the reason Roebuck left Sears in
1895 was due to the stress the business placed upon him, and he later took some delight in pointing out his longevity versus the much shorter life of Richard Sears. In the
1970s , the name "Roebuck" was dropped from the trade name of the stores, though not from the official corporate name.
The Sears logo currently used on most store signage was created in
1984 . Previously, the Sears logo consisted of the name "Sears" in a rectangle. Now it consists of the blue text, Sears, with a white line separating each letter down along the length of its strokes. In late
2004 , the logo was switched from all upper case to mixed case for catalogs and other marketing methods.
Sears formerly traded on the
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker of "S", which is now used by the
Sprint Nextel Corporation . Sears, Roebuck and Company is also a former
Dow Jones Industrial Average component, listed from
January 22 ,
1924 to
October 29 ,
1999 .
- ''Where America Shops For Value'' (prior to 1983)
- ''There's More For Your Life..at Sears'' (1983–1987)
- ''Your Money's Worth and a Whole Lot More'' (1987–1990)
- ''Your Money's Worth..and More'' (1990–1991)
- ''Sears: You Can Count on Me'' (1991–1995)
- ''Come See the Softer Side of Sears'' (1995–1999)
- ''The Good Life at a Great Price. Guaranteed.'' (1999-2001)
- ''Sears: Where Else?'' (2001–2003)
- ''Good Life. Great Price.'' (2003-2007)
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Baar
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Aaron
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Sears: 'Where It Begins'
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Adweek
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May 5 , 2007
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http://wwwadweekcom/aw/national/article_displayjspvnu_content_id=1003581783
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2007-09-04
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to
2004 .]]
In the
1980s and
1990s , the company divested itself of many non-retail entities, which were creating a burden on the company's bottom line.
In
1993 , Sears stopped production of its general merchandise catalog because of sinking sales and profits. However, Sears Holdings does continue to produce specialty catalogs and the Holiday Wish Book.
In
2003 , Sears sold its retail credit card operation to
Citibank . The remaining card operations were sold to
JPMorgan Chase & Company in August,
2005 . This launched the new Sears Gold
MasterCard .
Ever since the sale of credit to Citibank, the interest rates on Sears Cards have gone up significantly. The starting rate on a regular Sears Card is currently 25.40%. The starting rate on the Sears Gold Mastercard is 19.4%, and up.
In the early
1980s , Sears ceased selling shotguns, which had previously been sold primarily under their internal
J C Higgins sporting brand from
1908 until
1961 , and this alienated them from some of their historical core of rural and working-class consumers.
In the late
1990s , the company's market share in many areas deteriorated as
Wal-Mart drew away working-class consumers, and
Federated Department Stores attracted wealthier consumers.
In
2005 , Sears began adopting certain tactics used by competitors. In October 2005, they imposed a restocking fee of 15% on many of the stores items over $150 and on home-delivered merchandise.
, (
Salt Lake City area),
Utah .]]
In
2003 , Sears opened a new
Hypermarket concept brand named Sears Grand. Sears Grand stores carry everything that a regular Sears carries, plus health and beauty,
Toy s,
Baby Care , cleaning supplies,
Home Decor ,
Pet Food , cards and party supplies,
Books ,
Magazines ,
Electronics ,
Music ,
Movies , and a full-line of
Groceries . Sears Grand stores are about 175,000 to 225,000 square feet (16,300 to 19,500 m&
2). The first Sears Grand store (and still the largest at 225,000 square feet) opened at
Jordan Landing in
West Jordan, Utah in
2003 . In
2005 , the company began renovating some Kmart stores and converting them to the ''Sears Essentials''
Sears ditches Sears Essentials name format, only to change them later to ''Sears Grand'' format. Sears Essentials signs still have not been changed on many stores that were changed prior to this decision.
See Also: Sears Holdings Corporation
On
November 17 ,
2004 ,
Kmart announced its intentions to purchase Sears. As a part of the merger, the Kmart Holdings Corporation would change its name to Sears Holdings Corporation. The new corporation announced that it would continue to operate stores under both the Sears and Kmart brands.
It has been speculated that Sears management is interested in more purchases beyond the Kmart takeover of Sears, and the idea that investor ,
2007 .
- is a chain of mid-range Department Store s that are located in Shopping Malls ; they carry Clothing , Jewelry , Appliance s, Hardware , Lawn and Garden supplies, Lawn Mower s, Paint , Sporting Goods , Automobile Repair , Office Supplies , Electronics and school supplies. Sears stores are usually multi-level. There are 870 full-size Sears stores in the United States .
- is a chain of free-standing in West Jordan, Utah in 2003 . At 225,000 square feet, the Jordan Landing store is currently the largest in the chain. Unlike many other Hypermarket s in the United States (such as Wal-Mart Supercenter s and Meijer ), Sears Grand stores are not continuously open, but have longer hours than typical Sears stores.
- was a chain of Hardware Store s that carry the whole line of Sears hardware and are usually free-standing or located in strip malls. Typically these stores are about 25,000 square feet.
- is a chain of smaller stores that are operated as Franchises . These stores are usually located in smaller markets that do not support full-sized Sears. They are signed as ''Sears'' and are usually free-standing or located in strip malls. They primarily concentrate on hardware, appliances, and lawn and garden supplies.
- is an Outlet version of Sears Department Store s located in Outlet Mall s and stand alone Strip Malls fading out these stores ranged from the specialized, just appliances, to full merchandise. Typically reselling customer returned functional, unboxed catalog and retail items at great discount.
- is a chain of service centers that typically sell parts for appliances and also feature a carry-in point for customers to bring merchandise in that needs repaired either in or out of warranty. Typically labeled '''Sears Service Center''' or '''Sears Home Central''', two names that also refer to the Parts and Repair centers. Sears has started closing many of these down as more and more of its service and repair business is home-based.
- is a chain of free-standing Home Décor stores that carry high end Appliances , Bedding , and Kitchen and bath fixtures. The Great Indoors stores are 130,000 square feet (12,000 m&2).
- aside from carrying the Lands' End clothing line at Sears stores, Sears Holdings also operates 16 Lands' End stores that carry only Lands' End Clothing . These stores are located in outlet malls and regular malls.
- , known as '''Orchard''' or '''OSH''' for short, is a chain of free-standing Hardware Store s that carry home repair, hardware products and lawn and garden supplies. Orchard Supply Hardware stores are 40,000 square feet (4,000 m&2). There are currently 84 stores, all of them in California . Sears now owns 80.1% of the chain, and revealed intentions in May 2005 to spin it off. Richard Karn of Home Improvement fame was a spokesman for the chain.
- is a joint venture held by Whirlpool and Sears Holdings. This Week in Consumer Electronics, Whirlpool Bears First Fruits Of Maytag Merger At Home Depot, 10/09/2006 A & E Factory Service is a network of mobile service vans with a long history of performing appliance repairs.Yard and Garden, Filling the gap: now that home centers are "servicing what they sell," where do dealers fit into this rapidly changing retail channel?; Profitably running your service department, March, 2005
- was an electronics store. The electronics departments in Sears are now known and referred to internally as Brand Central, although they are not marketed to consumers as such.
- were located in small towns. These stores were very small, even smaller than Sears' current Hometown Dealer stores. At catalog stores, some items could be ordered from the floor, such as appliances; other items could be ordered from catalogs at the store. These stores were often placed in rural markets which were far from full-line Sears stores, allowing for customers to purchase Sears products more easily. These stores were closed in 1993 when Sears closed its catalog business.
- was a chain of furniture stores owned by Sears. The concept was introduced at a mall in Fresno, California in 1989, followed by a stand-alone store in Madison, Wisconsin . A surprisingly new style for Sears: Homelife, Sears new power furniture format, is unlike anything seen before at the nation's largest retailer Sears sold the stores to Citicorp Venture in 1999, who changed the chain's name to just "HomeLife". They opened many locations inside large Sears stores or near the store depending on space available. HomeLife closed its last stores in 2001. HomeLife Furniture closes its doors
- was a chain similar to Sears Hometown stores, except that Neighborhood stores were located in urban markets. An average Sears Neighborhood store was 6,800 square feet. These stores were also independently owned and operated. The concept was introduced in Atlanta in 1998, and another similar store was located in Cincinnati. Sears eyeing South DeKalb as site for new urban store Sears to open urban store. The Neighborhood stores closed in the early 2000s.
- was the brand that Sears used when they purchased the rights to build and sell their own Atari 2600 s. These 2600s looked 98% like an actual Atari 2600 and was used like Atari 's 2600s.
See Also: Sears Merchandise Building Tower
The original Sears Tower was built in Lawndale on the west side in 1905-1906.
See Also: Sears Tower
Sears, Roebuck and Company built the famed
Sears Tower , which was completed in
1974 . This building, located in
Chicago , is the
Tallest Building In The United States . The company, however, no longer owns the building.
Sears has struggled with employee relations. One notable example being the shift in 1992 from an hourly wage based on longevity, to a base wage (usually $6/hour) and commissions ranging from 1.5% to 4%. This new base wage, often a substantial cut was done in the interest of "to be successful in this highly competitive environment." ''600-plus Sears jobs to be cut'' Chicago Tribune
February 13 , 1992
Sears is one of the few retailers to still pay commission though. They believe that this will create more knowledgeable employees and provide better customer service. Yearly awards are given to the best salesman.
This is the current headquarters of the Sears Holdings Corporation in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. A modern suburban office park location seen as more efficient campus type setting in a suburb, than the downtown Sears Tower Chicago location. Recently opened is the 25% Sears owned continuing the common practice of naming a sports arena/expo center for an extended period of time.
Ryan Companies owns the remaining 75%, other offices and hotels are being developed on the Prairie Stone campus.
{Link without Title} Prairie Stone Business Park, Current Sears headquarters location and Sears Centre Arena.
