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.
Stanley tools bought the Craftsman name
But nothing is the same anymore
I wrote off Sears in the late 80s over a similar refusal to stand by their product.
Still, I hate to see an American icon go under.
Lowe’s has Craftsmanship.
There are lots of stores that now carry the Craftsman brand.
Lowes, ACE , and our local Atwoods Farm and Home all carry Craftsman tools. Also some others carry Craftsman.
Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman tool brand from Sears.
Maybe they shouldn’t have spent so much money building that giant tower?
During the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union it was said that instead of dropping bombs on Russia, Sears catalogues should be dropped instead. The population would riot and overturn the government overnight demanding what they saw was available to the west be made available to them.
They had a good run but it seems like they’ve been going broke for 35 years. Glad Sears is finally at peace.
Grew up with Sears, kinda makes me sad.
John Cameron Swayze
Takes a licking keeps on ticking......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK9KWHjvfM
When younger I liked to ride my bike and I found 1/2 a box wrench in a parking lot, since it said Craftsmen on it I brought it back to the Sears at Coastland Mall and got a new wrench, at that time worth about $7.
I just got a leaf blower beginning of summer. I think it came from Lowes (gift)
I noticed forty years ago that Sears was cheapening some items. Jumper cables now had breakable plastic clamps, binoculars had cheaper lenses, welding machines had cheap breakable plastic adjustment handles.
We are still using a Sears microwave we bought at one of the last Sears stores here.
The Sears catalog was required reading (ahem!) in every outhouse in my neighborhood . . .
Craftsman
Stanley
Black & Decker
Porter Cable
Dewalt
Mac Tools
Proto
Bostitch
Kwikset
Weiser Lock
Price Pfister
and a bunch more
All the same company
Or Kenmore home appliances such as washing machines?
—
My Kenmore washer / dryer are over 25 years old. Still running just fine. No fancy electronics and very reliable. Required service a few times in the past but the local appliance store can work on them. Plan on keeping them until they are beyond repair.
If one company would/should have understood the change to mail order ala Amazon, one would think Sears would. It should have been in their DNA.
However, they got locked themselves into 99 year leases every where and that partially was their downfall.
Good childhood memories of me and my little brother sitting on the floor and devouring the Sears Christmas catalogue to decide what toys we wanted to ask for Christmas.
I still have some Craftsman tools I got as a teen in the early to mid 80s.
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