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Sears Tool Territory, a New Hardware Department, Officially Opens in 21 Indiana and Kentucky Stores

Ribbon-cutting Ceremonies Planned this Week

"Tools rule" at Tool Territory, a new hardware department that officially opens this week in 17 Indiana and four Kentucky Sears stores.

"Twenty-one of our Indiana and Kentucky stores are celebrating the introduction of Tool Territory, a new tool/hardware concept," said George Kurkowski, national manager of Tool Territory. "We're adding 72 of the top tool brands to our current broad assortment which includes Craftsman, the most popular tool brand in America. Our goal is to provide more tools than ever before -- 18,000 tools in all -- in a hardware department that's easy to shop, has experts available to answer questions, provides hands-on product demonstrations and offers customers the right tool for the right project."

Introduced in Virginia and Connecticut in 1999, Tool Territory is being added to 140 Sears stores, primarily in the East and Midwest. Each Tool Territory averages about 10,000 square feet in size. Special areas are devoted to carpentry, woodworking, mechanics and general-purpose tools, as well as hardware. Internet access also is available to help customers find thousands of other items at .

Among the new brands featured at Tool Territory are names such as: Stanley, DeWalt, Makita, Delta, Fluke and Estwing.

"In our ads, we tell our customers to 'prepare to be leveled,' because we think they're going to be impressed with the transformation that's taking place in our stores," Kurkowski said. "We've called upon some of the best- known tool manufacturers and design consultants in the business to help us create Tool Territory. It also helps that Bob Vila, America's home- improvement expert, has been working with us for the past 10 years, inspiring us to do a major renovation, too."

Grand-opening celebrations for Tool Territory are planned at the following stores in Indiana:

   -- Sears at Mounds Mall, 2109 State Rd. 109 S., Anderson, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Paul Muething, 765-683-4600
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at 3305 W. 16th Street, Bedford, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Randy R. Paynter, 812-279-3501
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 26 at 9 a.m.

   -- Sears at College Mall, 2812 E. Third St., Bloomington, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Bob Evans, 812-333-5800
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at Green Tree Mall, State Rd. 131, Clarksville, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Don Sewell, 812-288-5302
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at The Commons Mall, 222 Commons Mall, Columbus, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Dave Huebschman, 812-379-1400
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:15 a.m.

   -- Sears at Glenbrook Square, 4201 Coldwater Rd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Ralph Thompson, 219-480-1500
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9 a.m.

   -- Sears at Southtown Mall, 7800 S. Anthony Blvd., Fort Wayne, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Leslie Halaby-Moore, 219-441-4268
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 11 a.m.

   -- Sears at Greenwood Park Mall, 1251 U.S. Hwy. 31 N., Greenwood, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Bonnie Smith, 317-865-8300
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at Castleton Square Mall, 6020 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Bob Renskers, 317-579-2700
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at Lafayette Square Mall, 4050 Lafayette Square, Indianapolis,
      Ind.
      Store General Manager: Kathleen Moore, 317-328-6400
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 26 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at Washington Square Mall, 10202 E. Washington St.,
      Indianapolis, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Tom Arigi, 317-890-4100
      A grand-opening celebration is planned for Sat., Oct. 28.

   -- Sears at Markland Mall Shopping Center, 1235 S. Reed Rd., Kokomo, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Bonnie Harris, 765-868-3700
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct 28 at 9:30 a.m.

   -- Sears at Tippecanoe Mall, 2415 Sagamore Pkwy. S., Lafayette, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Joyce Cunningham, 765-449-7700
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:30 a.m.

   -- Sears at Logansport Mall Shopping Center, 3902 E. Market, Logansport,
      Ind.
      Store General Manager: Al Borrego, 219-753-4911
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:15 a.m.

   -- Sears at North Park Mall, 1129 Baldwin Ave., Marion, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Kathy Ralph, 765-668-2600
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 26 at 10 a.m.

   -- Sears at Muncie Mall Shopping Center, 3501 Granville Ave., Muncie,
      Ind.
      Store General Manager: Ray Kramer, 765-747-8300
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct 28 at 9:45 a.m.

   -- Sears at Honey Creek Mall, 3401 S. U.S. Hwy. 41, Terre Haute, Ind.
      Store General Manager: Denis Hodge, 812-231-5700
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:15 a.m.

Grand-opening celebrations for Tool Territory are planned at the following stores in Kentucky:

   -- Sears at Greenwood Mall, 2625 Scottsville Rd., Bowling Green, Ky.
      Store General Manager: Shawn Burke, 270-782-4600
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 9:15 a.m.

   -- Sears at Towne Mall, 1704 N. Towne Mall, Elizabethtown, Ky.
      Store General Manager: Dan Moll, 270-765-3559
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sat., Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.

   -- Sears at Jefferson Mall, 4807 Outer Loop Rd., Louisville, Ky.
      Store General Manager: Steven Shawhan, 502-966-1198
      A grand-opening celebration is planned for Thurs., Oct. 26.

   -- Sears at Oxmoor Center, 7900 Shelbyville Rd., Louisville, Ky.
      Store General Manager: Nancy Leech, 502-339-2700
      A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 26 at 9:45 a.m.

As part of its celebration of Tool Territory, each of the Sears stores will distribute 50 $10 Sears Gift Cards on Sat., Oct. 28. Additionally, Sears is offering a "Toolathalon," during which customers will reassemble a 90-piece tool kit, on the grand-opening weekend (in all stores, on Sat., Oct. 28, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and, again, in the mall stores, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; also, in all stores, on Sun., Oct. 29, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.). Throughout the weekend, customers can register to win a $15,000 shopping spree in Tool Territory. (On Nov. 20, one winner will be drawn from all participating Tool Territory grand-opening stores.)

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of nearly $40 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through approximately 860 full-line department stores, more than 2,100 specialized retail outlets, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, www.sears.com .

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Contact: Larry Costello of Sears, Roebuck & Co., 847-286-9036

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