Sears, Roebuck and Co. (sometimes known only as Sears, or Sears and Roebuck among older Americans and Southerners) is an American mid-range chain of international department stores, founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century. It operates in Canada under Sears Canada and Mexico under Sears Mexico. From its mail order beginnings, the company grew to become the largest retailer in the United States by the mid-20th century, and its catalogs became famous. Competition and changes in the demographics of its customer base challenged the company after World War II as its rural and inner city strongholds shrank and the suburban markets grew. Eventually its catalog program was largely discontinued. Sears merged with Kmart in early 2005, creating the Sears Holdings Corporation.
The largest Sears store in the world, operated by Sears Canada, is 817,850 square feet (75,981 m²), in the Toronto Eaton Centre. The largest American store is located near the Sears headquarters at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It has 416,000 square feet (38,600 m²) of retail space. The second largest Sears store in the USA is located at the Livonia Mall in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
Sears Tower and Sears Merchandise Building Tower
The original Sears Tower was built in Lawndale on the west side in 1905-1906.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. postavily světoznámý Sears Tower v Chicagu, dokončený v roce 1974. V současné době je nejvyšší budovou v USA. Společnost ale tuto budovu již nevlastní.
