Canada Says Goodbye to Sears Kenmore

[eurekaprince]

This week, Sears Canada announced it will be closing all its stores across the country, after over 25 years in business. At the beginning, Sears bought the Robert Simpson department store chain which became known as Simpson-Sears for a while. Then, Sears bought out Canada’s iconic Eaton’s department store chain in the mid 1990’s.

This is terrible news - not just for the thousands of Sears Canada employees across the country, but definitely for vacuum fans. Sears Canada gave us Canadians a solid source for Kenmore and Hoover and Miele and Electrolux vacuums over the years. Their vacuum departments were probably the largest in the country, outside of small independent vacuum stores and repair shops.

What is strange is that the only remaining Canadian department store chain - the Hudson Bay Company - seems financially strong enough to buy up Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s all very bizarre to me.

This loss of Kenmore vacuums is now added to the recent loss of the Swedish Electrolux vacuum line and all Miele uprights.

Things are looking pretty sad for vacuum lovers in Canada now....you’ll be seeing us doing a lot of “border shopping” in Buffalo and Burlington and Seattle in the coming years. :-(

 

[countryguy]

Brian,

Don't you mean 65 years in business? since 1952.

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Gary....was not sure of the real start date...I just remembered shopping at Sears a lot in the early 1990’s in Toronto. But thanks for the year! Can’t remember when Simpson’s was taken over though.

 

[eurekaprince]

And to clarify the history a bit more: Ontario based Simpson’s Department stores started a joint venture with American Sears Roebuck in 1952 to establish a chain of Simpson-Sears catalogue stores across Canada. These would be in addition to the existing Simpson’s chain of stores.

In 1978, the rival Hudson Bay Company bought Simpsons and converted many of their stores to The Bay. The separate Simpson-Sears chain was renamed Sears Canada. So by 1980, Canada’s 3 main department store chains were Eatons, The Bay and Sears. Later on (1995?), when Eaton’s was about to go under, Sears bought their assets. So by the year 2000, there were only two surviving chains: Sears and The Bay.

Now it looks like we are left with just The Bay who now also owns Lord & Taylor.

 

[countryguy]

I remember the local Sears catalogue outlet when I was a kid...back in the late 60s. A friend of my mom worked at the store and had Wed. afternoons off which is when my mom would go visit her and drag me along. I especially remember one visit when her friend had just purchased a Rainbow model D and of course she had to demonstrate it for my mom. Afterwards they went into the kitchen for coffee and I staying in the living room to admire the vacuum

 

[gsheen]

We lost Aeg ( your swedish altjough built in Hungery Electrolux vacuum line and Electrolux ( a mix of lower model Aeg cylinders and Eureka uprights 2 yeats ago already. I know the Uk lost Electrolux vacuums too but still get AEG by Electrolux. Looks like one of the biggest and oldest names in floor care is slowly dissapearing.

 

[n0oxy]

sad but not surprising

This is sad news, but Sears is not doing too well in the States either. Regarding Electrolux, their ultra one series is very good, they no longer own Eureka, will be interesting to see if Eureka makes a come back with the new company ownership. Apparently Miele is making some of their machines in China instead of Germany now, you have to wonder if their is any future for the Kenmore vacuum line.
Mike

 

[real1shep]

Yeah.....

who could forget the old Sears catalogs that came out every yr and PROUDLY had all those models in their underwear, selling underwear. Anyway, that was one of my highlights of the yr as a boy.....lol!


 


Kevin