 | |
 Sears' freestanding store onAvenida Juárez inDowntown Mexico City. | |
| Sears Mexico | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 26 February 1947; 78 years ago (1947-02-26) |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 93 (2024) |
Area served | Nationwide |
| Products | Consumer goods |
| Parent | Sears (1947–1997) Grupo Sanborns (2007–present) |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Sears Operadora México, S.A. de C.V. (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈseaɾs]) is adepartment store chain located inMexico, operating 93 stores all over Mexico as of 2024.[update][1] Sears México is operated byGrupo Sanborns,[2] a division ofGrupo Carso.
On 26 February 1947, the first Sears in Mexico was opened inColonia Roma,Mexico City (now the site of thePlaza Insurgentes mall) bySears, Roebuck and Co.[3][4]
In the initial three days after opening, approximately 110,000 customers visited the store, with total sales reaching about $600,000. During its first week, the store faced challenges in maintaining inventory levels, necessitating the delivery of additional goods via three flights from a Texas warehouse operated by the parent company. The store's entry into the Mexican market has been viewed by some as a catalyst for changing consumer patterns, influencing a shift towards different economic priorities.[3][5]
In its first year of operation, the Mexico City store did around $16 million in business, almost twice as much as was expected by its parent company. However, just a few months after opening, in order to prevent a drain on the nation's foreign-currency reserves, Mexico barred some nonessential imports and raised tariffs on others. This impacted the Mexico City store, which was at the time importing around 90 percent of its merchandise.[3] This forced the store to create alliances with Mexican manufacturers. It also brought interest in factories that were producing its merchandise. In 1949, Sears México had around 2,500 Mexican suppliers furnishing some 80 percent of the goods in the Mexico City store.[3]
A second and third Sears were opened in 1949 in Monterrey and Guadalajara, and by 1953, Sears had seven stores in Mexico with annual sales of more than $15 million and employed around 1,900 people. These employees received cost-of-living allowances, paid vacations, retirement funds and free medical treatment.[3] In 1956, there were 17 Sears stores in Mexico with a sales volume of around $25 million. There were around 3,200 employees at that time, all but 16 of whom were Mexican citizens. Additionally, about 90 percent of the merchandise sold in its stores was made in Mexico.[3]
On 2 April 1997, Sears formed a strategic alliance with Grupo Carso, owned by Mexican businessmanCarlos Slim Helú, through which it was agreed to sell 85% of Sears México to Grupo Carso, which, as of 2022, owns 100% of the company.[6]
In 2004, Grupo Carso bought Dorian's Tijuana, S.A. de C.V., a mid-range department store chain present mostly in northwestern Mexico, established inDowntown Tijuana in 1959.[7] Carso operated it as a subsidiary of Inmuebles Borgru, S.A. de C.V., which was in turn a subsidiary of Inmuebles Carso, S.A.B. de C.V.[8] In that same year, Dorian's purchased five department store locations fromJCPenney, the U.S.-based retailer which had been operating in Mexico since 1995.
In April 2009, Dorian's brand was jettisoned. As such, 13 of the 14 Dorian's locations were converted to Sears.[8] InTijuana: three storesPlaza Río Tijuana,Plaza Carrousel inLa Mesa, Centro ComercialMesa de Otay); inCancún—Plaza Las Américas (formerlyJCPenney), inChihuahua City—Plaza de Sol (formerly JCPenney); DowntownEnsenada; DowntownLa Paz and Forjadores La Paz; inLeón, Guanajuato—Plaza Mayor (formerly JCPenney); inMérida—Plaza las Américas (formerly JCPenney), inMexicali—Centro Comercial Cachanilla; in theMonterrey area—San Pedro Garza García (formerly JCPenney and since moved to San Agustín); and a store inSan Luis Río Colorado,Sonora (since closed).[9] The exception was Downtown Tijuana Dorian's flagship which was closed in May 2009[10] and is now the "Plaza de la Tecnología", amarket hall of consumer technology vendors.
Despite the bankruptcy of its former parent company, the closing of many stores in the United States and Canada, and the subsequent sale toESL Investments, Sears México still remains open for business due to different ownership.
In July 2021, it was announced that the Mexican company was considering renaming its stores to distance itself from its failing former parent in the United States.[11]
Sears has 93 stores across the country, including 25 inGreater Mexico City (14 in Mexico City proper, 11 in the suburbs in theState of Mexico). The remaining 68 stores are spread across the country fromTijuana toCancún, with a presence in all 32 states exceptCampeche.[1]
In Greater Mexico City, branches are located in the city proper atPortal San Ángel, Parque Via Vallejo inAzcapotzalco,Plaza Universidad, theWorld Trade Center inNápoles,Perisur,Centro Santa Fe,Avenida Juárez in theHistoric Center,Forum Buenavista,Plaza Insurgentes (Colonia Roma (the first in Mexico, opening in 1947), PlazaLindavista, Parque Tezontle, Parque Las Antenas inIztapalapa, PabellónPolanco, and Galerías Coapa inTlalpan. In theState of Mexico portion of the metro area, Sears stores are located at GaleríasAtizapan, PlazaChimalhuacan, ZentraliaCoacalco,Cosmopol in Coacalco,Mexipuerto Cuatro Caminos, Luna ParcCuautitlan Izcalli, Plaza las Américas inEcatepec,Paseo Interlomas, Plaza Ciudad Jardín inCiudad Nezahualcóyotl,Plaza Satélite and Plaza Tlalne Fashion Mall inTlalnepantla.[12]
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(in Spanish)Department and discount stores in Mexico | |
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| Department stores | |
| Discount stores | |
| Hypermarkets |
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| Speciality | |
| Defunct | |
