Sears, Roebuck and Company, commonly known as Sears, is an American mid-range chain
of international department stores, founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah
Roebuck in the late 19th century. It operates in Canada under Sears Canada, Mexico
under Sears Mexico and Guatemala under Homemart, S.A. 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, a former
component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average,[1] 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 (75,981 mē),
in the Toronto Eaton Centre. The largest American store is located near the Sears
headquarters at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
It has 416,000 square feet (38,600 mē) of retail space. The second largest Sears
store in the USA is located at the Livonia Mall in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb
of Detroit.
In 1886, the United States had thirty-eight states in
the Union. 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 railroads. |
