Sears Mexico

Department store chain in Mexico

See also: Sears in Latin America

This article is about the Mexican chain of department stores. For the American department store chain, see Sears. For the defunct Canadian chain of department stores, see Sears Canada. For other uses, see Sears (disambiguation).

Sears Operadora México, S.A. de C.V.

Sears' freestanding store on Avenida Juárez in Downtown Mexico City.

Trade name

| Sears Mexico
Company type| Subsidiary
Industry| Retail
Founded| 26 February 1947; 78 years ago (1947-02-26)
Headquarters|

Mexico City

Mexico

Number of locations

| 93 (2024)

Area served

| Nationwide
Products| Consumer goods
Revenue| MX$25.4 billion (2017)[1]
Parent| Sears (1947–1997)
Grupo Sanborns (1997–present)
Website| www.sears.com.mx
Footnotes / references
[2]

Sears Operadora México, S.A. de C.V. (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseaɾs]) is a department store chain located in Mexico, operating 93 stores all over Mexico as of 2024.[update][2] Sears México is operated by Grupo Sanborns,[3] a division of Grupo Carso.

## History

[edit]

### Early history

[edit]

On 26 February 1947, the first Sears in Mexico was opened in Colonia Roma, Mexico City (now the site of the Plaza Insurgentes mall) by Sears, Roebuck and Co.[4][5]

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.[4][6]

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.[4] 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.[4]

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.[4] 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.[4]

### Grupo Carso

[edit]

On 2 April 1997, Sears formed a strategic alliance with Grupo Carso, owned by Mexican businessman Carlos 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.[7]

#### Dorian's

[edit]

Main article: Dorian's

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 in Downtown Tijuana in 1959.[8] 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.[9] In that same year, Dorian's purchased five department store locations from JCPenney, 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.[9] In Tijuana: three stores Plaza Río Tijuana, Plaza Carrousel in La Mesa, Centro Comercial Mesa de Otay); in Cancún—Plaza Las Américas (formerly JCPenney), in Chihuahua City—Plaza de Sol (formerly JCPenney); Downtown Ensenada; Downtown La Paz and Forjadores La Paz; in León, Guanajuato—Plaza Mayor (formerly JCPenney); in Mérida—Plaza las Américas (formerly JCPenney), in Mexicali—Centro Comercial Cachanilla; in the Monterrey area—San Pedro Garza García (formerly JCPenney and since moved to San Agustín); and a store in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora (since closed).[10] The exception was Downtown Tijuana Dorian's flagship which was closed in May 2009[11] and is now the "Plaza de la Tecnología", a market hall of consumer technology vendors.

### Current status

[edit]

Despite the bankruptcy of its former parent company, the closing of many stores in the United States and Canada, and the subsequent sale to ESL 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.[12]

## Locations

[edit]

Sears has 93 stores across the country, including 25 in Greater Mexico City (14 in Mexico City proper, 11 in the suburbs in the State of Mexico). The remaining 68 stores are spread across the country from Tijuana to Cancún, with a presence in all 32 states except Campeche.[2]

In Greater Mexico City, branches are located in the city proper at Portal San Ángel, Parque Via Vallejo in Azcapotzalco, Plaza Universidad, the World Trade Center in Nápoles, Perisur, Centro Santa Fe, Avenida Juárez in the Historic Center, Forum Buenavista, Plaza Insurgentes (Colonia Roma (the first in Mexico, opening in 1947), Plaza Lindavista, Parque Tezontle, Parque Las Antenas in Iztapalapa, Pabellón Polanco, and Galerías Coapa in Tlalpan. In the State of Mexico portion of the metro area, Sears stores are located at Galerías Atizapan, Plaza Chimalhuacan, Zentralia Coacalco, Cosmopol in Coacalco, Mexipuerto Cuatro Caminos, Luna Parc Cuautitlan Izcalli, Plaza las Américas in Ecatepec, Paseo Interlomas, Plaza Ciudad Jardín in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Plaza Satélite and Plaza Tlalne Fashion Mall in Tlalnepantla.[13]

Irapuato

Morelia–Las Américas

Plaza Río Tijuana

Ensenada

La Paz–Centro

Mexicali–Cachanilla

Tijuana–Carrousel

Insurgentes

Polanco

Universidad

Plaza Satélite

Perisur

Lindavista

Villacoapa

Monterrey San Agustín

Guadalajara Plaza

Centro Santa Fe

Angelópolis

Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, Avenida Juárez

Monterrey Anáhuac

WTC

Ecatepec

Coacalco

Monterrey Galerías

Tezontle

Nezahualcóyotl

Cuautitlán Izcalli

Forum Buenavista

Interlomas

Via Vallejo

Coacalco Cosmopol

Tlalnepantla

San Ángel

Cuatro Caminos

Querétaro La Victoria

La Paz–Forjadores

Monterrey Centro

Guadalajara Centro

Puebla Centro

Tampico

Tangamanga

Cuernavaca

Gomez Palacio

León Plaza

Culiacán Galerías

Oaxaca Plaza

Mérida Plaza

Hermosillo–Galerías Mall

Celaya

Veracruz–Plaza Las Américas

Cancun–Plaza Las Américas

Metepec

Torreón

Chihuahua Plaza

Querétaro Plaza

Culiacán Forum

Guadalajara Galerías

Ciudad Juárez

Coatzacoalcos

Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Xalapa Plaza Las Américas

Aguascalientes Altaria

Monterrey Citadel

Pachuca Plaza Q

Mérida Altabrisa

Tepic

Morelia Paseo Altozano

Nuevo Veracruz

Villahermosa

San Luis Plaza

Playa Del Carmen

Paseo Durango

Colima Zentralia

Celaya Galerías

Atizapán

Mazatlán Galerias

Cuernavaca Averanda

Paseo Los Mochis

Zacatecas Galerías

Irapuato Cibeles

Tampico Altama

Chimalhuacán

Mérida Las Américas

San Luis Potosí Centro

Veracruz Centro

Durango Centro

Mérida Centro

Jalapa Centro

Córdoba

Minatitlán

Parque Las Antenas

Parque Tepeyac

Parque Puebla

class=notpageimage|

Sears stores in Mexico. On a desktop or laptop, mouse over the push-pin icons to see the store name.

Show map of Mexico

Irapuato

Morelia–Las Américas

Plaza Río Tijuana

Ensenada

La Paz–Centro

Mexicali–Cachanilla

Tijuana–Carrousel

Insurgentes

Polanco

Universidad

Plaza Satélite

Perisur

Lindavista

Villacoapa

Monterrey San Agustín

Guadalajara Plaza

Centro Santa Fe

Angelópolis

Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, Avenida Juárez

Monterrey Anáhuac

WTC

Ecatepec

Coacalco

Monterrey Galerías

Tezontle

Nezahualcóyotl

Cuautitlán Izcalli

Forum Buenavista

Interlomas

Via Vallejo

Coacalco Cosmopol

Tlalnepantla

San Ángel

Cuatro Caminos

Querétaro La Victoria

La Paz–Forjadores

Monterrey Centro

Guadalajara Centro

Puebla Centro

Tampico

Tangamanga

Cuernavaca

Gomez Palacio

León Plaza

Culiacán Galerías

Oaxaca Plaza

Mérida Plaza

Hermosillo–Galerías Mall

Celaya

Veracruz–Plaza Las Américas

Cancun–Plaza Las Américas

Metepec

Torreón

Chihuahua Plaza

Querétaro Plaza

Culiacán Forum

Guadalajara Galerías

Ciudad Juárez

Coatzacoalcos

Tuxtla Gutiérrez

Xalapa Plaza Las Américas

Aguascalientes Altaria

Monterrey Citadel

Pachuca Plaza Q

Mérida Altabrisa

Tepic

Morelia Paseo Altozano

Nuevo Veracruz

Villahermosa

San Luis Plaza

Playa Del Carmen

Paseo Durango

Colima Zentralia

Celaya Galerías

Atizapán

Mazatlán Galerias

Cuernavaca Averanda

Paseo Los Mochis

Zacatecas Galerías

Irapuato Cibeles

Tampico Altama

Chimalhuacán

Mérida Las Américas

San Luis Potosí Centro

Veracruz Centro

Durango Centro

Mérida Centro

Jalapa Centro

Córdoba

Minatitlán

Parque Las Antenas

Parque Tepeyac

Parque Puebla

class=notpageimage|

Sears stores in Mexico. On a desktop or laptop, mouse over the push-pin icons to see the store name.

Show map of Mexico City urban area

Number of Sears stores by state in Mexico as of January 2024[14]

| State  |

|

Aguascalientes | 1
Baja California (Norte) | 4
Baja California Sur | 2
CDMX (Mexico City) | 15
Chiapas | 1
Chihuahua | 2
| State  |

|

Coahuila | 1
Colima | 1
Durango | 3
Guanajuato | 5
Hidalgo | 1
Jalisco | 3
| State  |

|

State of Mexico
| 12
of which 11 in the Mexico
City metropolitan area
Michoacán | 2
Morelos | 2
Nayarit | 1
Nuevo León | 5
| State  |

|

Oaxaca | 1
Puebla | 2
Querétaro | 2
Quintana Roo | 2
San Luis Potosi | 3
Sinaloa | 4
| State  |

|

Sonora | 1
Tabasco | 1
Tamaulipas | 2
Veracruz | 8
Yucatán | 4
Zacatecas | 1

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Under Carlos Slim, Sears México is far from bankruptcy". Mexico News Daily. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
2. ^ a b c "Localizador de Tiendas" [Store Locator] (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 November 2024.
3. ^ "Grupo Sanborns | Formatos de negocios". Gsanborns.com.mx. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Sears Roebuck de México, S.A. de C.V. History". FundingUniverse. n.d. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
5. ^ "La Ciudad en el Tiempo: 70 años de Sears en México" [The City in Time: 70 years of Sears in Mexico]. El Universal (Mexico City) (in Spanish). 22 October 2017.
6. ^ Moreno, Julio E. (December 2000). "Marketing in Mexico: Sears, Roebuck Company, J. Walter Thompson, and the Culture of North American Commerce in Mexico City during the 1940s". Enterprise & Society. 1 (4): 683–692\. doi:10.1093/es/1.4.683. JSTOR 23699530.
7. ^ "Acerca de Nosotros" (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 May 2022.
8. ^ "Company Overview of Dorian's Tijuana, S.A. de C.V." Business Week. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013.
9. ^ a b "Reporte Anual 2009" (PDF). Grupo Carso. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
10. ^ Dorian's website, archive.org record of edition of 2009-04-12
11. ^ "Dorian's Centro Cierra por Crisis". El Sol de Tijuana. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015.
12. ^ González, Dagnia (28 July 2021). "Sanborns analiza cambiar nombre a sus tiendas Sears" [Sanborns discusses renaming its Sears stores] (in Spanish).
13. ^ "SEARS - Me entiende". Sears.com.mx. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
14. ^ "Localizador de Tiendas". Sears.com.mx. Retrieved 16 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (in Spanish)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sears Mexico.

* v
* t
* e

Sears Holdings

Current management|

* Eddie Lampert, Chairman (major owner)

Founders|

* S. S. Kresge
* Alvah Curtis Roebuck
* Richard Warren Sears

Retailers|

* Kmart
* Sears

People|

* James B. Adamson
* Joseph E. Antonini
* Edward A. Brennan
* Charles Conaway
* Harry B. Cunningham
* Floyd Hall
* W. Bruce Johnson
* Aylwin Lewis
* Edward R. Telling
* Robert E. Wood

Brands|

* Kenmore
* Joe Boxer
* Thom McAn
* Shopyourway
* Toughskins

Spin-offs|

* Allstate
* American Freight
* Coldwell Banker
* Craftsman
* Dean Witter Reynolds
* DieHard
* Discover Card
* Kmart Australia
* Lands' End
* Martha Stewart Everyday
* National Tire and Battery
* OfficeMax
* Sears Roebuck de México

Defunct and
acquired properties|

* Borders
* Builders Square
* Eaton's
* Gala-Sears
* The Great Indoors
* Homart Development Company
* J. C. Higgins
* Orchard Supply Hardware
* Pace Membership Warehouse
* PayLess Drug Store
* Parts America
* Prodigy
* Sears Canada
* Sears Centre
* Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores
* Sears Tower
* Silvertone
* Sports Authority
* Tele-Games
* Venture Stores
* Waldenbooks
* Western Auto

* v
* t
* e

Department and discount stores in Mexico

Department stores|

* Cimaco
* Coppel
* DAX
* Liverpool
* El Nuevo Mundo
* El Palacio de Hierro
* Sanborns
* Sears
* Suburbia

Discount stores|

* Waldo's
* Woolworth

Hypermarkets|

* Alsúper (Plus)
* Bodega Aurrerá
* Casa Ley
* Chedraui/Super Che
* laComer
* H-E-B/Mi Tienda del Ahorro
* Soriana Híper/Híper Plus/Mega/Mercado
* Walmart

Speciality|

* Elektra
* La Parisina

Defunct|

* Dorian's
* Fábricas de Francia
* París-Londres
* Salinas y Rocha
* Viana

* Companies portal
* Mexico portal
* Category: Department stores of Mexico

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

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