Sears to Return to Chicago's Loop with Urban Store at State And Madison Streets
Sears will unveil its five-level, 250,000-square-foot urban store at the corner of State and Madison streets on May 23, 2001. Sears on State, Chicago's newest neighborhood store, will be the only full-line retailer serving the more than one million Loop-area residents and workers.
"Not only will downtown shoppers have a great new resource, but shoppers throughout the city will have access to vastly improved Sears stores in their neighborhood," said Mayor Richard M. Daley. "This commitment to the city is a critical one for the revitalization of State Street and residents throughout Chicago."
"Sears is committed to serving downtown-area businesses and residents with a tailored assortment of merchandise and services," said Dave Johnson, Sears store general manager. "We intend to be actively involved in enriching the community with events and cultural programs. Sears on State is an ideal location for our seventh urban Sears store in Chicago."
Sears on State will be the sole, full-line downtown Loop retailer to offer a comprehensive selection of merchandise, including: apparel, home fashions, cosmetics, appliances, consumer electronics, hardware, and lawn and garden products. The new store will offer Chicago quality name brand clothes and accessories for men, women and children at a reasonable cost. In catering to the busy urban lifestyle, Sears on State will offer delivery service and customer pick-up.
To better serve the needs of its customers, Sears on State also will feature eight special businesses, including: Cole Vision Optical, H&R Block, Java Java Coffee Shop, Miracle Ear, Sears Portrait Studio, an Afrocentric gift shop called Unity Square, a hair salon and a dental practice.
Sears retained the architectural firm of Daniel P. Coffey & Associates, Ltd., redeveloper of many Chicago landmarks, to design the facade of the State Street store. Architecturally significant and originally built in the early 1900s by Holabird & Roche, the structure at the corner of State and Madison streets originally housed The Boston Department Store, which according to Chicago legend, was located at the busiest corner in the world. Encompassing half a block, the 17-story historic building was once touted as the tallest building in the world devoted exclusively to the retail trade of a single business. Other noteworthy aspects of this historic building were its great open floor plates, deep basements and escalators.
In addition to Sears on State, Sears stores are located throughout the city, employing 1,450 associates. The new Sears on State Street store will create nearly 350 new job opportunities.
In September 1999, Sears unveiled a $30 million program to renovate its six Chicago stores by the year 2003, representing an overall $80 million commitment to the city by the retailer over a ten-year period.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through approximately 860 department stores, approximately 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, http://www.sears.com/ .
SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Contact: Jennifer Topolewski, 312-751-5544, Janie Goldberg-Dicks,
312-751-5540, both of Margie Korshak, Inc. for Sears; or Rebecca Sullivan of
Sears, Roebuck and Co., 847-286-3796
Website: http://www.sears.com/