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.