Sears might be selling off brands, taking loans from its CEO, and ending relationships with long-standing partners, but that doesn’t mean it’s giving up just yet. In an apparent effort to strike a nostalgic chord with customers who remember flipping through the Sears catalog and flagging the things they wanted as gifts, the struggling department store chain is resurrecting its once-popular holiday Wish Book. [More]
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Sears Stops Selling Whirlpool Appliances, Ending 100-Year Relationship
By 10.24.17
Sears, once the place to purchase home appliances, will soon have a smaller inventory to offer the few customers it has left: After a nearly century-long relationship, Sears and Whirlpool have cut ties. [More]
Bankrupt Sears Canada Asks Court For Permission To Liquidate, Shut Down
By 10.10.17
Like its American cousin, Sears Canada is in financial trouble. Unlike Sears Holdings, it doesn’t have a vast real estate portfolio that it can sell to raise cash. To that end, the company announced today that there is no way to keep the business going, and it will close all stores and liquidate. [More]
Sears Borrows Yet Another $100M (And Possibly $200M) From Its Own CEO
By 10.6.17
It hasn’t even been a year since Sears, the mall anchor store where there’s always plenty of parking, borrowed half a billion dollars from its own Chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert. Now the once-great retailer that’s living in a converted storage space above its parents’ garage while it sorts things out is borrowing another $100 million from Lampert, with a second $100 million loan possibly coming in just a matter of weeks. [More]
Get Ready For More Sketchy Seasonal Stores As Retail Vacancies Rise
By 10.3.17
If you’re a fan of those stores that come out of nowhere to sell a lot of Halloween costumes and Christmas ornaments only to be gone without a trace once a holiday passes, we’ve got great news for you! A decade-high level of retail bankruptcies and store closures means there’s still plenty of spaces at your local shopping centers for all manner of seasonal pop-up stores. [More]
Which Major Retailers Sort Their Toy Departments By Gender?
By 7.25.17 — Updated: 7.26.17
While some toy companies have been giving up on long-held preconceptions about gender-specific products in recent years, we were curious how this was affecting retailers, so we checked out a few of the big chains. Here’s how the major stores sort their toy departments so you can shop by your preference. [More]
As Sears And Kmart Shrink, Amazon Grows
By 7.20.17
Earlier today, we shared the announcement that Amazon and Sears would be teaming up to sell Kenmore brand appliances, beginning with air conditioners. The retailers have more in common than you might think, though. [More]
Sears Begins To Sell Kenmore Brand Appliances On Amazon
By 7.20.17
Would you buy a Kenmore air conditioner, refrigerator, or dishwasher if you didn’t have to go to a Sears store, leave your house, or register for a Sears.com account? As part of its ongoing efforts to increase sales and make the most of its store brands, Sears Holdings, the parent company of Sears and Kmart, announced that it will be selling Kenmore appliances on Amazon, beginning with air conditioners. [More]
Sears Holdings CEO Lends Company Another $200M To Stay Afloat
By 7.18.17
As other retailers around it go out of business or reorganize, Sears Holdings, parent company of Kmart and Sears, is still in business somehow. Why? Those other chains don’t have what SHC does: A massive base of stores that it owns and can sell, and a CEO able to lend the company a few hundred million here and there. [More]
43 More Sears And Kmart Stores Are Closing: Is Yours On The List?
By 7.7.17
Sears Holdings, parent company of Sears and Kmart, announced today that it plans to close down another 43 stores. As with previous rounds of closings, Kmart stores dominate the list, with 35 stores in 21 states set to turn their blue lights out forever. [More]
Report: Sears Closing 20 More Stores, Opening One
By 6.22.17 — Updated: 6.27.17
Sears Holdings Corporation, parent company of Sears and Kmart, has recently been on a store-closing spree, seeking to lower its expenses to escape a looming retail death spiral. Today, the company announced the opening of a new appliances and mattresses concept store, while also informing employees that the company plans to close another 20 Sears department stores. [More]
Sears Settles With One Craftsman Supplier, Files New Lawsuit Against USA-Made Hand Tool Company
By 6.7.17
After resolving its contract dispute with one supplier for Craftsman tools, Sears Holdings has filed another lawsuit against another. The company claims that negative press coverage is leading its suppliers to demand early cancellation of contracts, or unreasonable terms. [More]
Report: Sears Holdings Plans To Close 72 Stores, Mostly Kmart
By 6.7.17
Sears Holdings, the parent company of Sears and Kmart, doesn’t like articles about how many stores it’s closing. Instead, the company tries to limit news releases about its plans to local news outlets. The company reportedly plans to close 49 Kmart discount stores, 16 Sears department stores, and seven Sears Auto Centers. [More]
Sears Could Stay Afloat… If It Had A Few Dozen More Tool Brands To Sell Off
By 5.25.17
Given all the doom and gloom headlines about Sears Holdings Corporation, you might be surprised to hear that the company turned a profit last quarter. Until you realize that the only reason Sears didn’t lose money is because it sold its once-beloved Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker. [More]
Sears CEO Eddie Lampert Wishes Everyone Would Stop Using The B-Word
By 5.10.17 — Updated: 6.13.17
Look, shoppers and members of the media. Eddie Lampert, the chairman, chief executive officer, and biggest shareholder in Sears Holdings Corporation, owner of Sears and Kmart, wants us to stop using the “B” word when talking about the company, because it spooks suppliers and shoppers. That word, of course, is “bankruptcy.” [More]
The Most Precious Treasures Of The Raiders Of The Lost Walmart
By 5.8.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The Raiders of the Lost Walmart is a recurring series here at Consumerist, where the brave explorers who read this site excavate their local discount stores, finding ancient treasures along the way. What we mean is that readers send us pictures of overpriced electronics that are obsolete or even unusable, and that will probably never leave the clearance shelves. [More]
Sears Closing 50 Auto Centers, 92 Kmart Pharmacies
By 4.24.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Like a sinking ship that keeps jettisoning cargo in the hope of staying afloat, Sears Holdings will soon be ridding itself of 50 Sears Auto Centers and 92 Kmart Pharmacies. [More]
Police: Man Hid In Sears Store At Closing Time, Tried To Steal $830K In Jewelry
By 3.24.17
At closing time in any store, you want to make sure that no one is hiding out inside, planning to pull off a heist once all of the employees have left. That never really happens, though, right? A man in suburban Maryland is accused of hiding in a Sears, then smashing jewelry display cases with a hammer and stealing their contents. [More]
