when was sears founded
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Cover of Sears Catalog, 1898. The business that would become Chicago's leading company and America's leading retailer for much of the twentieth century was founded in 1893 by Richard W. Sears. In 1887, Sears moved his watch-selling business from Minneapolis to Chicago and hired watchmaker Alvah C. Roebuck to assist him.