Sears

What Sears does

Sears, originally founded in 1886 as Sears, Roebuck and Co. in Chicago, Illinois, is a historic American retailer that once operated 3,500 stores at its peak and was the largest retailer in the United States. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018 with approximately $6.9 billion in debt, the company emerged as a private entity under Transform SR Brands LLC, a subsidiary of Transformco controlled by ESL Investments (Edward Lampert). As of 2026, Sears operates only 5 physical retail stores nationwide alongside its core e-commerce platform at sears.com.

The company's technology foundation centers on an e-commerce platform with omnichannel capabilities and claimed AI-powered demand prediction for inventory and logistics optimization. Sears distributes products through its own storefront (sears.com), a third-party seller marketplace (Sears Marketplace), and a Sears Puerto Rico subsidiary. Revenue streams include one-time product sales across appliances, tools, electronics, lawn and garden, outdoor living, and home goods; recurring Sears Protect home warranty subscriptions; marketplace commissions; and Sears Card credit card transaction fees and interest. Supporting service divisions include Sears Home Services (in-home appliance repair via company-employed technicians), Sears Parts Direct (parts distribution), the Shop Your Way loyalty program, and a Hot Deals/Rebates promotional engine.

Sears serves mainstream US consumers and homeowners through a horizontal segmentation approach, offering price-match policy, regular discount promotions (5-75% off), and nationwide home warranty coverage. Sears Protect positions itself as the only nationwide home warranty provider employing its own service technicians rather than third-party contractors. Reported scale metrics include over 150 million homes historically served through warranty services and over 1 million five-star reviews, though the company continues to wind down operations with no current revenue disclosure available.

Name

Sears

Legal name

Transform SR Brands LLC

Website

https://sears.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Sears is a historic American retailer operating an e-commerce platform and nationwide home warranty service, selling appliances, tools, home goods, and parts through sears.com, Sears Marketplace, and Sears Protect, with only 5 remaining physical stores after its 2018 bankruptcy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Department Store Retail

NAICS

Department Stores (4551), Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449)

SIC

Retail-Department Stores (5311), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronics & Appliances-Focused Catalog Department Store Retailers (CRAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Price / Clearance-Led Catalog Department Store Retailers (CRAGAIAM), General Merchandise Online Retailers (CRAFADAA), Home & Furniture-Focused Catalog Department Store Retailers (CRAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Department store retail
• Home appliances sales
• Home warranty services
• E-commerce marketplace
• Appliance repair services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware/Product Sales: Sale of appliances, tools, clothing, mattresses, electronics, lawn & garden equipment, tires and automotive products through retail stores and e-commerce
2. Home Warranty Services (Sears Protect): Home warranty plans providing coverage for appliance and home-system repairs, generating recurring subscription revenue with annual plan fees
3. Sears Marketplace: Third-party marketplace allowing other sellers to sell products on sears.com, earning commissions on transactions
4. Sears Credit Cards: Store credit cards and financing options for customers, generating revenue through interest and transaction fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sears is a traditional department store retailer selling consumer goods including appliances, tools, clothing, mattresses, furniture, electronics, and lawn & garden products through its remaining physical stores and the sears.com e-commerce platform. Beyond product sales, the company operates Sears Marketplace for third-party sellers, Sears Protect home warranty plans, Sears Home Services for in-home appliance repair and installation, and Sears Parts Direct for replacement parts.

Product overview

Sears operates as a traditional e-commerce retail platform offering a diversified portfolio of consumer products centered on home goods and appliances. The core Sears.com platform serves as the primary sales channel, complemented by the Sears Marketplace for third-party sellers and the Shop Your Way loyalty program for customer engagement. Service offerings include Sears Protect (home warranty), Sears Parts Direct, and Sears Home Services, which collectively provide appliance repair and parts fulfillment. The company markets major product categories including appliances, tools, electronics, lawn & garden equipment, outdoor furniture, and home goods, with promotional mechanisms through Hot Deals and Rebates Center. The product architecture reflects a platform-plus-services model where the e-commerce site serves as the foundation while value-added services (warranties, repairs, parts) and marketplace extend functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kenmore: Appliance brand previously owned by Sears, now sold to other retailers
• Craftsman
• Sears Parts Direct
• Sears Home Services
• Sears Protect Warranty
• Sears Marketplace

Products and services

• Sears.com E-commerce Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 million homes served through home warranty services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Simon Property GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025The sole remaining California Sears store is located inside a Simon Property Group mall in Concord, representing a landlord-tenant relationship for the surviving retail footprint.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Macy's: One of the remaining large US department store chains with multi-category apparel, home, and beauty assortments; competes with Sears in apparel, home goods, and mattress categories.
• JCPenney: Department store peer with a similar decline trajectory following bankruptcy and private-equity ownership; offers overlapping apparel, home, and appliance categories.
• Home Depot: Dominant home improvement retailer that has absorbed significant share from Sears in tools, appliances, and home goods since Sears' decline began.
• Best Buy: Leading US specialty retailer for consumer electronics and major appliances, directly competing with Sears' appliance and electronics categories both online and in-store.
• Wayfair: Online home goods and furniture retailer overlapping with Sears' furniture, outdoor patio, and home furnishings categories through an asset-light marketplace model.
• Lowe's: National home improvement chain competing directly with Sears in major appliances, tools, lawn and garden, and outdoor living categories.
• Kmart: Sister brand under Transformco (same parent as Sears), operating a similar discount general-merchandise format with overlapping product categories in appliances, clothing, and home goods.

Broad incumbents

• Walmart: World's largest retailer competing with Sears across general merchandise, groceries, apparel, and home goods with vastly superior scale and pricing power.
• Amazon: E-commerce leader that captured Sears' declining online share across appliances, tools, electronics, and general merchandise.
• Target: Mass-market general merchandise retailer overlapping with Sears across apparel, home goods, electronics, and small appliances with a much larger store and digital footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/searsdeals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/sears
• Facebookfacebook.com/sears
• Instagraminstagram.com/sears
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sears-roebuck-and-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sears