( also Sears , Sears and Roebuck )
any of a very large group of US department stores selling a wide range of products for the family. The company was begun in 1886 in Minneapolis by Richard Sears. He was then joined by Alvah Roebuck when he moved the company to Chicago in 1887. In 1891, they began the company’s famous mail-order catalogue (= book showing items that can be ordered by post).
See also Sears Tower .