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Sears Expands Toy Shops With Playful Experience for Kids and Trusted Play Advice for Parents

   Based on enthusiastic consumer response Sears Toy Shops open in 79 new
                        locations across the country

    HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the
holiday shopping season, Sears is opening new Toy Shops within 79 of its
existing stores to help kids and parents shop for toys year-round. The
Sears Toy Shops offer a hand-picked selection of toys, a "play as you shop"
experience and a trusted source for toy and play advice. The Toy Shops will
be expanding into four new markets, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Diego
and Washington D.C. Additionally, new Toy Shops will be added in the
Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco markets, where the
retailer opened 20 pilot Toy Shops last year.

    "The consumer response to our Toy Shops that were launched last year
was so strong that we wanted to extend them to more families in more
markets, said Dev Mukherjee, president of Seasonal & Toys, Sears Holdings.
"Sears is committed to providing parents with the tools, guidance and toy
selection they need to foster play within their households. We have also
made our toys shops as play friendly as possible by adding interactive
displays and even a kid-sized hot air balloon to delight our youngest
customers."

    A national survey conducted by Harris Interactive(1) on behalf of Sears
revealed that 87 percent of parents believe that encouraging play is one of
their most important responsibilities. However, the survey also shows
strong room for improvement in that regard, as four out of five parents
surveyed agree that most parents do not focus enough on encouraging their
kids to play. Over half of the parents said they would like an outside
resource for help with toy recommendations and play activities. To address
these findings, Sears has added content and functionality to its website,
http://www.sears.com/toyshop, to help parents as they look to find the right mix
of toys for their children and to get advice from an array of play experts.

    Toy selection has never been more important, especially when it comes
to choosing the best products that will benefit children. The survey
revealed that 86 percent of the parents said it's important that their
child has the right mix of toys - a sentiment that drives many toy purchase
decisions. When asked how they decide on what toys to buy, play value and
age appropriateness ranked as the two top factors considered by parents,
ahead of price.

    With that in mind, the Sears Toy Shops feature popular toys and
specialty items that help to build four core areas of childhood development
- creativity, motor, social and cognitive skills.

    "We believe free play is an important part of a child's development
that should be encouraged," said Mukherjee. "We wanted to create a special
place for kids in our stores where they can come with their parents to
interact with toys that are fun, as well as develop basic skills."

    The Sears Toy Shops carry top toy brands that delight kids and parents
alike. From power brands like Fisher Price, LeapFrog, Hasbro and VTech to
unique products from specialty brands such as Schylling, Thomas Wooden
Railway, Gund Plush, My First Annabelle, Madame Alexander and more. Better
yet, customers have the opportunity to choose from Sears exclusive brands
like My First Craftsman, My First Kenmore and Just Kidz.

    Grand opening celebrations featuring drawings, cupcakes and fun
activities for the whole family will be held in every Toy Shop location
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct 16. The first 50 families to arrive
at each grand opening celebration will receive a free $5 Sears gift card.

    Visit http://www.sears.com/toyshop to shop online or find a store location
near you.

    About Harris Interactive

    Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research
firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform
relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris
Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers
expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology,
public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance,
media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in
over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European,
and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms,
Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us - and our
clients - stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit
http://www.harrisinteractive.com.

    About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

    Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200
specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of
merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty
catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands
including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most
trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY
STAR? Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest
provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made
annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at
http://www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at
http://www.searsholdings.com.

    (1) The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive from September 9-15, 2010 on behalf of Sears Holdings.
Completed surveys were obtained from 847 parents of children age 12 or
younger. Because the online survey is not based on a probability sample, no
estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.


SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.





 

 
Web site: http://www.sears.com http://www.searsholdings.com

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CONTACT: Natalie Norris-Howser of Sears Holdings,
 +1-847-286-6080, Natalie.Norris-Howser@searshc.com; or Sarah
 Yansura of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, +1-212-367-6804,
 sarah.yansura@eurorscg.com, for Sears, Roebuck and Co.