SearsHoldings.com is the company from Sears and Kmart's merger.
Company
Sears Holdings Corporation is the United States' fourth-largest commercial retailer. It is the new company which was formed in 2005 from the merger of Sears, Roebuck and Company and Kmart Holdings Corporation. The corporation is based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Sears, Roebuck and Company was founded in 1886 in Chicago, Illinois and KMart was founded in 1899 in Detroit, Michigan.
Store Chains
The result of combining what were already two retail giants has produced a host of store chains under one large corporation. Their current line-up of retail chains include:
- KMart - The familiar chain of discount department stores remains virtually unchanged. This chain of retail stores has been in continuous business since 1962, and still has their first store in Garden City, Michigan. The standard KMart stores focus on economically-priced small retail items: electronics, music, movies, bedding, hardware, sporting goods, clothing, toys, jewelry, office supplies, health and beauty products, home decorating items, and a limited selection of food items. Its chief competitor is Target stores.
- Big Kmart - Larger than its name-sake, the Big KMart stores have more of a focus on home decorating items, housewares, and clothing. Most of these also have a garden center, pharmacy, and cafe, in addition to the smaller KMarts.
- Super Kmart - These are the new breed of "multi-department stores", whose area typically covers 150,000 to 250,000 square feet. They combine a standard KMart with a complete grocery store, and most add anything from a large appliance section to a gas station as well. These chains have Walmart as their chief competitor.
- Land's End - The clothing brand has a chain of several stand-alone stores, in addition to being sold directly through Sears stores.
- Orchard Supply Hardware - While all 84 locations of these stores are in the state of California, Sears Holdings has indicated interest in expanding this chain in the future. These are home building and hardware goods stores, competing in markets currently dominated by Home Depot.
- Sears - These are the familiar chains of mid-range department stores, which carry clothing, jewelry, appliances, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, sporting goods, office supplies, electronics, and home furnishings. They are typically found attached to shopping malls, and compete with other department store retailers like JC Penny and May Company.
- Sears Grand - Similar to Super KMarts, these are a chain of stand-alone mega-stores which function as a standard Sears store combined with a large grocery store. These also run in the range of 150,000 to 250,000 square feet of floor space, and also are competing with Walmart.
- Sears Hardware - Smaller hardware and general-store outlets; these are strip-mall sized stores carrying just the subset of Sears-brands hardware merchandise. Their chief competitor is the Ace Hardware stores.
- Sears Dealer Stores - These are the smallest stores, more like independent franchises, where individual business owners sell Sears-branded merchandise.
- Sears Outlet - Another smaller store, these are the kiosk-sized retail stores in the smaller outlet malls.
- Sears Parts & Repair, Sears Service Center, Sears Home Central - These are parts and repair centers for servicing large appliances and hardware sold under one of the Sears brand names. A & E Factory Services is the mobile branch of this section, with repair vans equipped to provide in-home service.
- The Great Indoors - This is a free-standing chain of retail outlets that focus on home decorating and furnishings. They are competing more on Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Ikea's turf.
Sears Holdings Brands
The combination of Sears and KMart put many brand names under one corporate roof. The major brands currently held by Sears Holdings include:
Craftsman, DieHard, Kenmore, Jaclyn Smith, Joe Boxer, Lands' End, Martha Stewart Everyday, Route 66, Sesame Street, Ty Pennington style, Personal Identity, Canyon River Blues, Covington, Winnie the Pooh, Structure, BobbyO, Apostrophe, Parallel, Latina Life, Two Hearts, Celestial Star, Simply Love, Promise Your Love, Galaxy, Protron, and LXI.
Website
SearsHoldings.com is a placid website which serves more as a pointer to Sears.com and KMart.com, reflecting the novelty of the corporate union. The site's sections are:
- About SHC
- About Us
- Diversity
- Community Relations
- Press Releases
- Investor Information
- Corporate Governance
- Brands
The focus at this time of writing is more on presenting the main facts about the corporation, with the indication that customers would be more likely to go to the website related to the individual retail outlet they wish to deal with.
Business Profile
Sears Holdings Corporation reported revenues of over $49 billion in 2006. They employ 355,000 people in their 3,800 retail locations. Fortune 500 rates them as #33.
Languages
English
Address
- 3333 Beverly Rd, B6-233A
- Hoffman Estates IL 60179 US
Contact
- Sears Brands, Llc, Web Master
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Additional Information
Related Domains
External Links
- Alexa: SearsHoldings.com