After its journey through bankruptcy, Sears is getting ready to open its first batch of smaller stores focusing on appliances, mattresses and home services.
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The first three stores called Sears Home & Life will open Memorial Day weekend. They are a fraction of the size of the company's traditional stores.
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Peter Boutros, chief brand officer for Sears and Kmart, declined to say how many of the stores are in the works but said locations have been identified.
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He says the new stores will not take the place of the remaining 425 stores.
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The openings come nearly two months after Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert bought the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company for $5.2 billion. Lampert is restructuring the business but Sears' long-term survival remains an open question.
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