Richard W. Sears (1863-1914),
and Sears Holdings Corporation
In 1886, Richard Sears began the R.W. Sears Watch Company
in Minneapolis. As business began to increase, an Indiana lad by the name of
Alvah C. Roebuck answered an ad. In 1893 the corporate name of the firm became
Sears, Roebuck and Co. In 1905, needing additional capital, Sears for the first
time sold common and preferred stock on the open market. The company has been
publicly owned ever since. In March 2005 Kmart and Sears merged to form Sears
Holdings Corporation. Sears Holdings Corporation, which includes both Sears and
Kmart, operates 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States
and Canada.