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.Fact: date=October 2008 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, merged with Kmart in early 2005, creating the Sears Holdings Corporation.
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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.Fact: date=October 2008 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, merged with Kmart in early 2005, creating the Sears Holdings Corporation.
The largest Sears store in the world, operated by Sears Canada, is , 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 of retail space. The second largest Sears store in the USA is located at the former Livonia Mall in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.Fact: date=August 2008
History
Richard Sears and a shipment of watches
Richard Warren Sears was a railroad station agent in North Redwood, Minnesota when he received an impressive shipment of watches from a Chicago jeweler which were unwanted by a local jeweler. Sears purchased them himself, sold the watches for a tidy 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 catalogues. 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 Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Competing with general stores through mail order catalogue
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 stores. 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 grew quickly. By 1894, the Sears catalog had grown to 322 pages, featuring sewing machines, bicycles, sporting goods, automobiles (produced from 1905-1915 by Lincoln Motor Car Works of Chicago) 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, dolls, refrigerators, stoves and groceries had been added to the catalog.
