S.S. Kresge Corporation
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded |
|
| Founder | S. S. Kresge |
| Headquarters | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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735 (Q4 2016) |
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Area served
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United States |
| Products | Clothing, shoes, linen and bedding, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, toys, food. |
| Revenue | US$25.146 billion (2015 SHC) |
| Parent |
Sears Holdings (2005–present) |
| Website | www |
Kmart Corporation (sometimes stylized as K-Mart) is a chain of big box department stores headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The chain purchased Sears for $11 billion in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The Kmart name was incorporated in 1916 while the first store didn't open its doors until 1962. At its peak in 2000, Kmart operated 2,171 stores including 105 "Super Center" locations. For the 2005 fiscal year under the new company, the Kmart store count was at 1,416 with only 55 "Super Center" locations. Currently, the chain is operating 734 stores with only 1 "Super Center" location remaining (Store #4939 in Warren, OH). This number will decrease further due to the previously announced closings that will take place in Q1 2017.
It operates stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam (which houses the world's largest Kmart). It also used to operate stores in Canada, Mexico, and Eastern Europe.
Kmart became known for its "Blue Light Specials": they occurred at surprise moments when a store worker would light up a mobile police light and offer a discount in a specific department of the store, while announcing the discounted special over the store's public address system. At the height of Kmart's popularity, the phrase "Attention Kmart shoppers!" entered into the American pop psyche, appearing in films and other media such as Troop Beverly Hills, Six Days Seven Nights, Rain Man, Beetlejuice, Madea Goes to Jail, and Dawn of the Dead.
Kmart's world headquarters were located in Troy, Michigan, in Metro Detroit, but since the purchase of Sears, it has been relocated to Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Kmart also exists in Australia and New Zealand (see Kmart Australia), although it now has no relation to the American stores except in name, after U.S. equity in the Australian business was purchased in the late 1970s.
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Wikipedia