Sears and Roebuck
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1886 (legacy) 1892 (first incorporation) 1906 (second incorporation) Chicago, Illinois |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States |
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Number of locations
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594 (Q3 2017) |
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Area served
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| Products |
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| Revenue |
 US$ 13.8 billion (2016) |
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US$ -1.448 billion (2016) |
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| Parent |
Sears Holdings (2005–present) |
| Subsidiaries | See below |
| Website | www |
Sears, Roebuck and Company, colloquially known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in 1892 and 1906. Formerly based at the Sears Tower in Chicago and currently headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, the operation began as a mail ordering catalog company and began opening retail locations in 1925. The first location was in Evansville, Indiana. The company was bought by the management of the American big box chain Kmart in 2005, the Kmart management formed Sears Holdings upon completion of the merger. In terms of domestic revenue, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States until October 1989, when Walmart surpassed the record. As of 2017, Sears is the 23rd largest retailer in the United States overall. Sears had divisions in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, but were sold as well as several other subsidiaries within its brand.
Richard Warren Sears came from a wealthy family, but lost it all in speculation. Sears then started working as a railroad station agent in North Redwood, Minnesota, as well as in Minneapolis. While in Redwood, a jeweler received an impressive shipment of watches which were unwanted. Sears purchased them, then sold the watches at a low price, to the station agents and made a considerable profit.
In Minneapolis, he started a mail order watch business. Sears started this company in 1886. He called it "R.W. Sears Watch Company." Within the first year he met Alvah C Roebuck, a watch repairman. The next year, they relocated the business to Chicago. In 1887 Sears published a mail-order catalog offering watches, diamonds, and jewelry. Two years later he sold his business for $100,000 and relocated to Iowa, intending to be a rural banker. Restless, however, he returned to Minnesota and established a new mail-order firm selling watches and jewelry, with Roebuck as his partner. This A.C. Roebuck & Company later became "Sears, Roebuck and Company" and in 1893 moved to Chicago.
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Wikipedia