Sears Canada
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFormer Canadian department-store and catalogue retailer that operated from 1952 until its liquidation in 2018.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
Sears Canada was a Canadian department-store, catalogue, service and consumer-finance business that operated under the Sears name from 1952 through the completion of its liquidation in 2018. It began as Simpsons-Sears Limited, a 50–50 joint venture between the Robert Simpson Company, a Canadian department-store chain, and Sears, Roebuck and Co. of the United States. The venture was designed to combine Simpson's Canadian market knowledge and catalogue operation with Sears' merchandising and suburban-store model. Its first catalogue was distributed in 1953, followed by retail locations in Stratford, Ontario, and Kamloops, British Columbia. The business expanded nationally through a combination of full-line stores, catalogues, service operations and later online commerce. The original venture included geographic restrictions intended to protect Simpson's established stores in several Canadian cities. Those restrictions were removed in 1972, and the retail operation increasingly adopted the Sears name. After the Hudson's Bay Company acquired the Simpson retail business in 1978, Sears acquired the remaining Simpson interest in the joint venture. The company was renamed Sears Canada Inc. in 1984, marking its formal separation from the original Canadian partner while retaining its Sears affiliation. For much of the twentieth century, Sears Canada occupied a broad middle-market position. Its assortment included clothing, appliances, furniture, mattresses, tools, home-improvement merchandise, consumer electronics, household goods and seasonal products. Its catalogue and delivery infrastructure extended its reach beyond major cities, while a nationwide repair network and the slogan “We Service What We Sell” supported its reputation for after-sales service. The company also operated credit, travel and home-service activities, and maintained partnerships with independent Sears Hometown stores and merchandise-pickup locations. A major strategic turning point came in 1999, when Sears Canada acquired the assets and trademark of the bankrupt T. Eaton Company. The transaction gave Sears access to prominent downtown and shopping-centre locations and briefly enabled it to operate a smaller upscale “eatons” format. That experiment was unsuccessful; the stores were converted to Sears locations in 2002. The acquisition nevertheless strengthened Sears Canada's physical presence in urban retail centres, although the company continued to face pressure from discount chains, specialty retailers, warehouse clubs, big-box stores and online commerce. The business also underwent substantial ownership and financial changes. Sears Holdings became its majority shareholder, while other institutional investors, including ESL Investments, held significant positions. A proposed privatization in 2006 failed after regulatory and minority-shareholder objections. In 2005, Sears Canada outsourced its credit-card financial-services operation to JPMorgan Chase, allowing the retailer to concentrate more narrowly on merchandising and store operations. Later asset sales, including property transactions and the disposal of prominent store locations, reflected attempts to unlock value as retail performance weakened. During the 2010s, Sears Canada reduced assortments, sold or closed important stores and attempted to reorganize its operating model. Product categories such as electronics and some window-covering lines were reduced, while certain merchandise was shifted online. The company retained a substantial network at its 2016 peak, including corporate stores, Sears Home and Outlet locations, Hometown stores, catalogue and online pickup points, travel offices and repair operations. However, declining sales, changing consumer habits, strong competition and the weakening economics of traditional department stores left the company unable to maintain its national network. Sears Canada sought creditor protection in June 2017 and announced successive rounds of closures. In…
History
Sears Canada's origins lie in the 1952 agreement between the Robert Simpson Company and Sears, Roebuck and Co. to establish a separate Canadian catalogue and department-store enterprise. The new Simpsons-Sears business acquired Simpson's mail-order operation and planned stores based on Sears' suburban format. Its first catalogue reached Canadian households in early 1953, and its first retail store opened in Stratford, Ontario, in September of that year. A second store followed in Kamloops, British Columbia, and a large suburban store opened in the Vancouver area in 1954. The company subsequently expanded across Canada and developed a national service infrastructure. The business initially operated under contractual restrictions that limited where it could establish stores near Simpson's existing locations. Mail-order activity was not subject to the same limitation, helping Simpsons-Sears build national reach before it had a full physical presence in every major urban market. The company promoted its service capability through the “We Service What We Sell” slogan and became a significant retailer of appliances, home goods, clothing and other general merchandise. It opened its first full-line Quebec store in 1963 and became publicly traded on the Toronto and Montreal exchanges in 1965. In 1968, it became an early Canadian retailer to source merchandise from mainland China. The territorial restrictions were ended in 1972. From 1973, new locations used the Sears banner, and existing Simpsons-Sears stores were progressively rebranded, although the corporation continued to use the Simpsons-Sears legal name for a period. The business reached a major sales milestone in 1973. In 1978, the Hudson's Bay Company acquired the Robert Simpson Company. The resulting change in ownership led Sears, Roebuck to acquire the Simpson interest in the joint venture, and the company adopted the name Sears Canada Inc. in 1984. The disappearance of the geographic restriction and later changes in the Canadian department-store market enabled Sears to strengthen its position in the Greater Toronto Area. Sears Canada introduced a store-modernization programme described as the “Store of the Future” in the 1980s. It also developed loyalty initiatives, including the Catalogue Club and later Sears Club. In 1991, the company took over several former Simpsons and Hudson's Bay locations in the Toronto area. The move improved its access to urban stores and supported a broader mix of fashion and hardline merchandise. In 1999, Sears Canada purchased the assets and trademark of the bankrupt T. Eaton Company. The acquisition included leases and locations associated with Eaton's historic downtown department stores. Sears attempted to revive the name through a seven-store upscale “eatons” format launched in 2000, but the concept was discontinued and the locations were converted to Sears stores in 2002. The failure reflected the difficulty of operating a small, geographically dispersed upscale chain while the wider market was shifting toward specialty retailers, discount formats and large-box stores. The company continued to alter its financial and operating structure in the 2000s. In 2005, it outsourced Sears Card financial services to JPMorgan Chase. Sears Holdings later became the majority shareholder, and a 2006 attempt to take Sears Canada private failed after regulatory and shareholder objections. Sears Canada also sold or monetized real estate, including its former headquarters and several prominent stores. These transactions provided resources but reduced the scale and strategic quality of the store network. The retailer entered the 2010s with a shrinking middle-market department-store franchise. Management pursued restructuring, focused on historically stronger categories such as appliances, apparel, children's products and mattresses, and tested more engaging store layouts. Merchandise was reduced in selected categories, and some products became online-only. By 2016, the company still had corporate, Home, Outlet and Hometown stores, catalogue and online pickup locations, travel offices and repair services, but the model was under increasing pressure from competitors and digital retail. Sears Canada sought creditor protection in June 2017. It announced several rounds of store closures before requesting authority to liquidate the remaining network. The court-approved liquidation began in October 2017, and the last stores closed on January 14, 2018. Fixture and equipment sales continued briefly afterward. The process ended Sears Canada's operation as a national Canadian retailer.
- 2018
Final stores close
[1]The remaining Sears Canada stores closed on January 14, ending the company's retail operations.
- 2017
Creditor protection and liquidation
[1]Sears Canada entered creditor protection, announced widespread closures and received court approval to liquidate its remaining store network.
- 2006
Privatization proposal fails
[1]A Sears Holdings proposal to acquire the remaining public shares did not obtain the required shareholder approval.
- 2005
Credit-card operation outsourced
[1]Sears Canada transferred its Sears Card financial-services operation to JPMorgan Chase.
- 2002
eatons format discontinued
[1]The upscale locations were converted to Sears stores after the experiment failed to achieve a sustainable position.
- 2000
eatons mini-chain launched
[1]The company introduced a seven-store upscale format using the eatons name.
- 1999
Eaton's assets acquired
[1]Sears Canada acquired the assets and trademark of the bankrupt T. Eaton Company.
- 1984
Renamed Sears Canada
[1]Following Sears' acquisition of the Simpson interest, the company adopted the Sears Canada Inc. name.
- 1972
Geographic restrictions removed
[1]Simpsons and Simpsons-Sears ended the contractual limits on where their stores could operate.
- 1965
Public listing
[1]The company's Class A non-voting shares began trading on the Toronto and Montreal stock exchanges.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Broad middle-market department-store retailer combining catalogue reach, suburban stores, household merchandise and repair services.
Department stores · 1953
Full-line Sears department stores
The core format offered a broad middle-market assortment spanning apparel, appliances, furniture, mattresses, tools, electronics, household products and seasonal goods. At its height, Sears Canada operated a large national network of full-line stores, often serving as an anchor in suburban shopping centres and malls.
Catalogue retail · 1953
Sears catalogue
The catalogue was central to the company's original business model and enabled nationwide merchandise ordering beyond the reach of its stores. It covered general merchandise and was supported by pickup, delivery and service infrastructure. Sears Canada published its general merchandise catalogue until the final quarter of 2016.
Home retail
Sears Home
Sears Home locations concentrated on appliances, furniture, mattresses, home furnishings and related household products. The format complemented full-line department stores and reflected Sears Canada's historical strength in durable goods and home-related merchandise.
Outlet retail
Sears Outlet
Outlet stores provided a value-oriented channel within the Sears Canada network. They formed part of the company's multi-format strategy and were included in the closure programme launched during creditor protection.
Franchise and community retail
Sears Hometown
Sears Hometown stores extended the brand into smaller communities through a separate store format. In 2016, the network included dozens of Hometown locations alongside corporate stores and catalogue pickup points.
Upscale department stores · 2000
eatons
After acquiring Eaton's assets, Sears Canada relaunched the name as a small upscale chain in 2000. The format operated in selected former Eaton's flagship locations but was discontinued in 2002, when the stores were converted to the Sears banner.
Marketing campaigns
- 1986Sears Catalogue Club and Sears Club
Canada
The company introduced a points-based loyalty programme connected initially to catalogue shopping and later to its wider sales channels.
Outcome. The programme continued under the Sears Club name until points could no longer be earned in June 2017.
- 1983Store of the Future
Canada
Sears Canada announced a store-modernization programme intended to make locations more product-focused and customer-friendly.
Outcome. The first remodeled store opened in Mississauga in 1985, with broader retrofits planned over the following years.
- 1965Boys and Girls Clubs partnership
Canada
Sears Canada began a long-term partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada to support youth programming.
Outcome. The partnership became part of the company's community-support activities.
- 1955We Service What We Sell
Canada
Sears Canada introduced a service-focused slogan backed by a nationwide network of trained technicians. The message linked product sales with installation, maintenance and repair support.
Outcome. The service promise became a long-running part of the company's identity.
Brand decisions
2017
Liquidation and national store closureStrategyBackground
Creditor protection followed prolonged competitive and operating pressure, declining store productivity and difficulty sustaining the traditional department-store model.
Action taken
Sears Canada sought court approval to close all remaining stores and conduct liquidation sales.
Aftermath
The court approved the plan in October 2017; liquidation began October 19, and the final stores closed January 14, 2018.
2006
Attempted privatizationM&ABackground
Sears Holdings, the majority shareholder, proposed acquiring the remaining publicly held shares.
Action taken
The proposal was challenged through regulatory proceedings and ultimately failed to secure the required minority-shareholder approval.
Aftermath
Sears Canada remained publicly traded, although Sears Holdings retained majority ownership for a time.
2005
Outsource Sears Card financial servicesStrategyBackground
Sears Canada sought to focus management attention and capital on retail operations.
Action taken
The company transferred its credit-card financial-services operation to JPMorgan Chase.
Aftermath
The Sears Club loyalty programme was retained, while the credit-card partnership later ended when the agreement expired in 2015.
1999
Acquire Eaton's assets and trademarkM&ABackground
The acquisition followed the bankruptcy of the historic T. Eaton Company and offered Sears Canada access to prominent urban locations and the Eaton's name.
Action taken
Sears Canada purchased Eaton's assets, trademark and leases associated with several major former flagship stores.
Aftermath
The company launched a short-lived eatons format in 2000 and converted those stores to Sears locations in 2002.
Recent events
- 2018
Sears Canada completes store closures[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
The remaining Sears Canada stores closed in January, ending the chain's retail operations in Canada.
- 2017
Sears Canada seeks creditor protection[1]
Bankruptcy
The company entered creditor-protection proceedings amid declining sales, mounting competitive pressure and an unsuccessful effort to find a sustainable operating structure.
- 2017
Initial store-closure programme announced[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Sears Canada announced closures affecting full-line, Home, Outlet and Hometown locations, with thousands of employees affected.
- 2017
Court approves liquidation of remaining stores[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
The Ontario Superior Court approved the company's request to close its remaining Canadian stores and proceed with liquidation.
Sources1 sources
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