Sears
Corporate brand
UnclaimedHistoric American department-store and mail-order brand, now operating on a greatly reduced scale under Transformco.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Sears is an American retail brand whose history spans the transformation of the United States from a largely rural economy into a mass-consumer and suburban society. Richard Warren Sears began a mail-order watch business in 1886, joined forces with watch repairer Alvah Curtis Roebuck, and established the Sears, Roebuck and Co. business in 1892. The company expanded rapidly through catalogs that offered watches, jewelry, sewing machines, bicycles, stoves, tools, clothing, farm equipment, groceries, furniture, and other goods to customers who often lived far from urban shopping districts. Its catalog became an important commercial institution for rural households and, in some communities affected by racial segregation, provided an alternative to discriminatory local merchants. Julius Rosenwald became a central figure in the company's professionalization and expansion. After a financial restructuring in the 1890s, he helped build a more systematic merchandising and distribution operation. Sears was reincorporated and taken public in 1906, in one of the most significant early public offerings by an American retailer. The company invested in large catalog facilities, distribution infrastructure, private-label manufacturing, and standardized national merchandising. Its house brands eventually included Kenmore appliances, Craftsman tools, DieHard automotive batteries, Silvertone electronics, Toughskins clothing, and other product lines. Sears entered physical retailing in 1925. Rather than concentrating only on established downtown shopping streets, it developed stores near residential areas and transportation routes, with automobile access, parking, practical merchandise, and a broad assortment that combined apparel, appliances, hardware, building supplies, automotive products, and household goods. This format helped make Sears a major suburban and middle-market retailer. The company also developed malls, insurance operations, financial services, and other businesses. In 1974 it completed the Sears Tower in Chicago, then the world's tallest building, symbolizing the company's commercial importance. The business reached its high-water mark in the 1970s and began a more complicated diversification program in the 1980s. Sears acquired Dean Witter and Coldwell Banker, launched the Prodigy online service with IBM and CBS, and introduced the Discover credit card. These initiatives broadened the corporate portfolio but also drew management attention away from the increasingly competitive retail operation. Walmart overtook Sears as the largest United States retailer around 1990, while discount chains, category specialists, shopping malls, warehouse clubs, home-improvement retailers, and later e-commerce placed additional pressure on the brand. In 2005, Kmart Holding Corporation acquired Sears, Roebuck and Co. and created Sears Holdings Corporation. Eddie Lampert became the controlling shareholder and a leading executive. Sears Holdings operated Sears and Kmart as separate retail brands while attempting to reduce costs, monetize real estate, sell assets, and develop selected private-label and service businesses. Store closures, declining investment, weaker traffic, and the sale or licensing of important brands progressively reduced Sears's scale. Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 15, 2018. Its retail assets were subsequently acquired through a bankruptcy process by Transform Holdco LLC, commonly known as Transformco, which continued a much smaller Sears operation. The contemporary Sears business is principally associated with a limited store and online presence, home services, appliance and parts sales, automotive services in selected locations, and licensed or transferred legacy brands. The American chain is no longer the national department-store power it was during the twentieth century. Sears-branded businesses in markets such as Mexico operate under separate ownership arrangements and should not…
History
Sears originated in the mail-order watch trade. Richard Warren Sears began selling watches in the 1880s and met Alvah Curtis Roebuck, a watch repairer, in 1886. Their business moved to Chicago and broadened its catalog. In 1892 they formed a new mail-order company, and on September 16, 1893, it adopted the Sears, Roebuck and Co. name. The company soon added sewing machines, bicycles, stoves, sporting goods, clothing, groceries, furniture, farm equipment, and other products. Its catalogs connected manufacturers with rural and small-town consumers who had limited access to department stores. The economic depression associated with the Panic of 1893 created inventory and financing problems. Roebuck withdrew from the business, while Aaron Nusbaum and Julius Rosenwald became involved in its ownership and restructuring. Rosenwald brought disciplined management and expanded merchandise planning. Sears was reincorporated in 1906 and completed a major public offering, becoming one of the leading large-scale American retailers. Mail-order facilities in Chicago supported a national distribution system, while private-label goods helped the company control product presentation and pricing. Sears began opening department stores in 1925. The stores were often located outside traditional downtown retail districts, close to residential neighborhoods and transportation routes. Their combination of practical merchandise, automotive access, parking, and broad selection anticipated later suburban retailing. Sears also became involved in catalog-home kits, insurance through Allstate, farm and lawn equipment, electronics, appliances, automotive products, and other categories. The annual Christmas catalog, later known as the Wish Book, became a major cultural and commercial feature. The postwar decades brought extensive store and mall expansion. Sears was one of the defining retailers of twentieth-century America and reached its greatest prominence in the 1970s. The completion of the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1974 reflected that status. In the 1980s the company diversified into financial services, real estate, insurance, telecommunications, and credit, including the Discover card and the Prodigy joint venture. These moves coincided with intensifying retail competition, and Walmart surpassed Sears in national retail scale around 1990. Sears attempted to respond through restructuring, store modernization, specialty formats, brand development, and asset sales. In 2005 it merged with Kmart, forming Sears Holdings. The combined company retained both consumer brands but faced declining store productivity and competition from discount retailers, warehouse clubs, home-improvement chains, specialty stores, and online commerce. Under Eddie Lampert's influence, Sears Holdings emphasized cost reduction, financial restructuring, real-estate monetization, and business-unit separation. The strategy did not reverse the deterioration of the retail network. Sears Holdings entered Chapter 11 on October 15, 2018. Transformco acquired the operating assets after the bankruptcy and kept a limited Sears presence through stores, e-commerce, home services, parts, appliances, and automotive activities. Many legacy brands were sold, transferred, or licensed, reducing the direct connection between the Sears name and products once developed within the Sears corporate system. The American brand remains active but is a much smaller enterprise than the company that once dominated mail-order and department-store retailing.
- 2019
Transformco takes over remaining operations
[2]Transformco acquired selected Sears and Kmart assets and continued a reduced retail and services business.
- 2018
Sears Holdings files for bankruptcy
[2]The parent company entered Chapter 11 after prolonged operational and financial decline.
- 2005
Merger with Kmart creates Sears Holdings
[2]The transaction combined two major but pressured American retail chains under a new holding company.
- 1985
Discover card is introduced
[1]Sears expanded its financial-services activities by launching the Discover credit-card business.
- 1974
Sears Tower is completed
[1]The Chicago headquarters tower opened as the world's tallest building at the time.
- 1933
First Sears Christmas Wish Book is issued
[1]The dedicated holiday catalog became a recurring seasonal retail and cultural institution.
- 1925
First Sears department store opens
[1]The company moved beyond catalogs into physical retail, beginning a nationwide department-store expansion.
- 1906
Sears is reincorporated and goes public
[1]A new corporate structure and major public offering supported national expansion and distribution investment.
- 1893
Business adopts the Sears, Roebuck and Co. name
[1]The company formalized its best-known nineteenth-century corporate name and expanded beyond watches and jewelry.
- 1892
New mail-order firm is established
[1]Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck formed the company generally recognized as the origin of the Sears enterprise.
Products and positioning
Mass-market American department-store and home-merchandise retailer built around practical products, value, national distribution, private labels, and service offerings.
Home appliances
Kenmore
Kenmore was Sears's best-known appliance private label, covering products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, ranges, and related household equipment. The brand was historically manufactured by multiple outside suppliers and sold through Sears's stores, catalogs, and service network. Its identity was built around practical household performance and broad availability rather than luxury positioning.
Tools and outdoor equipment
Craftsman
Craftsman became a major Sears tool and equipment label, spanning hand tools, power tools, storage, lawn equipment, and related products. It was central to Sears's appeal among homeowners, mechanics, and do-it-yourself customers. Stanley Black & Decker acquired rights to the Craftsman brand in 2017, so current Craftsman operations are not identical to the historical Sears product business.
Automotive products
DieHard
DieHard was developed as a Sears automotive battery and maintenance brand and became one of the company's most recognizable names. Its association with batteries, automotive service, and durability extended across other vehicle-related products. The brand was sold to Advance Auto Parts in 2019, separating it from the former Sears Holdings corporate structure.
Catalog retail · 1933
Sears Wish Book
The Wish Book was Sears's dedicated Christmas and holiday catalog, first issued in 1933. It presented toys, gifts, clothing, household products, and seasonal merchandise to a national audience. Beyond its commercial role, it became a widely remembered symbol of mail-order shopping and helped define how generations of American consumers encountered products before the internet.
Home repair and installation
Sears Home Services
Sears Home Services represents the service side of the brand, including appliance repair, installation, home improvement, and related maintenance work. Service operations became increasingly important as the store network contracted because they preserved customer relationships beyond physical retail. Availability and ownership arrangements have changed during the post-bankruptcy period.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 1933Wish Book holiday catalog
United States
Sears introduced a separate Christmas catalog featuring toys and gifts. The publication became one of the brand's most durable seasonal marketing platforms and a major example of catalog-based national merchandising.
Outcome. Established a long-running seasonal brand tradition.
- National catalog merchandising
United States · Canada
Sears used large general merchandise catalogs to reach rural and small-town households with standardized prices and broad product choice. The catalogs served both as advertising and as the principal shopping interface for many customers.
Outcome. Helped make Sears a dominant national retailer before the rise of modern e-commerce.
Brand decisions
2018
Seek Chapter 11 protectionOtherBackground
Years of declining sales, store closures, operating losses, and creditor pressure left Sears Holdings unable to sustain its existing capital structure.
Action taken
Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 15, 2018.
Aftermath
Transformco acquired selected assets and continued the Sears brand on a substantially smaller scale.
2005
Combine Sears with KmartM&ABackground
Both chains faced competitive pressure and declining relevance relative to large discount and specialty retailers.
Action taken
Kmart Holding Corporation acquired Sears, Roebuck and Co., creating Sears Holdings Corporation.
Aftermath
The combined company pursued cost reduction, asset sales, and restructuring but continued to lose scale and store productivity.
1981
Diversify into financial services and real estateM&ABackground
Sears sought growth outside its core retail operation during a period of changing consumer behavior and intensifying competition.
Action taken
The company acquired Dean Witter and Coldwell Banker and expanded its non-retail corporate portfolio.
Aftermath
The diversification broadened the enterprise but was later criticized as diverting attention from retail competitiveness.
1925
Enter physical department-store retailingStrategyBackground
Sears had built its business around mail-order catalogs but recognized the opportunity to serve the growing urban and automobile-owning consumer market.
Action taken
The company opened its first department store and developed locations near residential areas and transportation routes rather than relying exclusively on traditional downtown districts.
Aftermath
The experiment succeeded and became the foundation for a nationwide store network.
Recent events
Reported
Sears announces closure of its last Illinois store[5]
Sears announced that its Woodfield Mall store, its last store in Illinois, is scheduled to close on November 14 as part of a plan to redevelop and reinvigorate the property. The article reports the scheduled closure; it does not establish that the closure had occurred.
Reported
Sears announces temporary closure of all stores[6]
Transformco, Sears’ parent company, announced that all Sears stores would temporarily close effective April 4 at the end of the day through at least April 30, 2020, in response to COVID-19. Sears.com, distribution centers and customer care were to remain open.
Reported
Transformco announces temporary furloughs of most Sears store associates[6]
Transformco announced a decision to temporarily furlough most Sears store hourly and salaried associates, as well as the majority of associates at its Hoffman Estates and other corporate locations. The company said it would cover premium costs through April 30 for furloughed associates enrolled in its benefits programs.
- Unconfirmed
Sears sues Bell Sports to recover payments[7]
Sears, on behalf of its Kmart division, sued Bell Sports to recover $125,000 in payments made before Sears's bankruptcy filing. Sears had previously sent Bell a demand letter seeking repayment; the article describes the payments as allegedly preferential.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Kenmore Elite microwave ovens recalled for burn hazard[8]
Kenmore Elite microwave ovens were recalled for repair after incorrect wiring caused the exterior to reach temperatures exceeding 183 degrees Fahrenheit, posing a burn hazard. About 700 units were recalled.
Reported
Kenmore Elite microwave ovens recalled for burn hazard[4]
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of Kenmore Elite microwave ovens because incorrect wiring could cause the exterior to exceed 183 degrees Fahrenheit, posing a burn hazard. Consumers were advised to stop using the ovens and contact Sears for a free in-home repair.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Judge approves Sears liquidation plan[9]
A judge approved the liquidation plan for the Sears shell company left after Eddie Lampert bought out its best stores. Under the plan, unsecured creditors will recover 2.5 cents on the dollar.
Sources11 sources
- 1Searsen.wikipedia.org
- 2Sears Holdingsen.wikipedia.org
- 3Kenmore Elite microwave ovens recalled for burn hazardwtkr.com
- 4Kenmore Elite microwave ovens recalled for burn hazardprnewswire.com
- 5Sears宣布关闭其在伊利诺伊州的最后一家门店theepochtimes.com
- 6Sears宣布暂时关闭所有门店prnewswire.com
- 7Sears起诉Bell Sports以追回款项bicycleretailer.com
- 8Kenmore Elite微波炉因烫伤风险被召回yahoo.com
- 9法官批准西尔斯清算计划foxbusiness.com
- 10Kenmore Microwave Ovens recalled due to burn hazardkfvs12.com
- 11Sears closes its last store in Illinoistherealdeal.com
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