S. S. Kresge Company
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1899 (as S.S. Kresge Company) 1962 (as a Kmart store) 1977 (as Kmart Corporation) 2003 (as Kmart Holdings Corporation) Garden City, Michigan, United States |
| Founder | S. S. Kresge |
| Headquarters |
Troy, Michigan, United States (1962-2004) Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States (2005-present) |
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Number of locations
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591 (Q3 2017) |
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Areas served
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United States (except Rhode Island and Alaska), Puerto Rico, and Guam |
| 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 (stylized as kmart) is an American big box department store chain 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 Kmart Center locations. For the 2005 fiscal year under the new company, the Kmart store count was at 1,416 with only 55 Super Kmart Center locations. Following a round of closings during the first quarter of 2017, the chain is operating 591 stores with only 1 Super Kmart Center location remaining (Store #4939 in Warren, OH).
Kmart currently operates stores in 48 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam (which houses the world's largest Kmart). Kmart formerly operated stores in Canada, Mexico, and in Eastern Europe.
Kmart became known for its "Blue Light Specials". These 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. Subsequent to the completion of the purchase of Sears, headquarters have been located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. An independent entity calling itself Kmart operates in Australia and New Zealand (see Kmart Australia) but it no longer has any relation to the American stores except in name.
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Wikipedia