Posted on 09/16/2021 4:05:17 PM PDT by American Number 181269513
The last Sears department store located in the retailer’s home state of Illinois is getting ready to close its doors for good.
The shop, located in Simon Property Group’s Woodfield Mall, is scheduled to shutter on Nov. 14, the company confirmed to CNBC.
A spokesman for the department store chain’s parent company, Transformco, said it will look for ways to revive the space with another tenant because it also manages the real estate.
“This is part of the company’s strategy to unlock the value of the real estate and pursue the highest and best use for the benefit of the local community,” Transformco said in a statement.
Sears Holdings, which also owned Kmart, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2018. Transformco later acquired Sears out of bankruptcy and has since closed dozens of the remaining Sears and Kmart locations across the United States.
Kmart’s last location in Manhattan recently shut. It will be replaced by a Wegmans grocery store.
A spokesperson for Transformco declined to confirm how many Sears and Kmart stores are still open.
The company’s websites list 35 Sears locations, including the one at Woodfield Mall, and 22 Kmart stores.
Sears was founded in Chicago in the 1890s. Its business blossomed through much of the 20th century, as it sold everything from homes to apparel. Sears was once the largest retailer in the nation, boasting thousands of stores.
The company had about 700 stores, many of them barren of goods, when it filed for bankruptcy protection.
Scott Carr, president of Transformco’s real estate division, said in a statement that the company plans to maximize the value of the Woodfield Mall property through a redevelopment.
They had a good run.
But not lately.
When they went bankrupt in Canada, I bought a Timex watch for 30% off.
Last interaction with Sears was being told that it was my $ liability that their two separate maintenance guys couldn’t find a floor-destroying leak in their house-brand dishwasher.
Sears Roebuck had a good run. I know people who said their Craftsman tools were the best quality. Ditto the Kenmore appliances.
Does anyone else sell Craftsman tools anywhere else? Or Kenmore home appliances such as washing machines?
first place i ever rode an escalator
They sure did. Sears Roebuck was the Amazon of its day.
They shouldn’t have closed all of the Kresge’s stores. Those five and dimes made a comeback with Dollar General and Family Dollar.
“They had a good run.”
Yeah, until the management decided that new internet thing was just stupid.
So is Sears closing all their stores? What about JC Penny?
Growing up the Sears Christmas catalog gave us many hours of wishing.....
In the early 80’s Walmart was rapidly expanding into numerous states. In a TV news report about the expansion, the reporter asked the then-president of Sears what he thought of Walmart’s rapid expansion. He replied, “Who do they think they are? Sears?”
At that time, Sears had a store in nearly every mall in North America.
Old ads said it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. But the store couldn't make it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NHq3Yze6s0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_fKppH8B0g
Walmart will have the same demise.
Ace Hardware sells Craftsman tools.
We have several excellent large appliances from Sears.
I so looked forward to the Sears Wish List catalog, as a child.
I had a whopping $400 credit limit which seemed very heady at the time. Got some Craftsman tools, a pair of blue jeans and a boombox player with a cassette deck.
Companies like Sears and Kodak blew it.
Lowes has Craftsman now. But the quality is no better than Home Depot’s Husky or Harbor Freight’s upgraded brands. A Craftsman 3/8s ratchet I bought about 10 years ago gave up pretty quickly. Good riddance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.