The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 44

PnntKrrnph. nhmmlneton. Teh. I Store Rated One of Best Sears, Roebuck and newl equipment and lighting fixtures department store which opens reflect the latest and best tea tures developed by Sears in its officially at 10 a.m. Thursday is 41 years of retailing experience.

An advanced type of central heating and air conditioning rated one of the most modern, one-stop shopping units in the company's nationwide network of stores. i i I r. Ml id i 11 A lii system provides ideal tempera ture and humidity regardless of The store occupies the key tract of 10 acres in the new 30- acre Eastland Shopping Center outside weather conditions. Symphony Of Color The interior of the handsome one-story structure is one vast, pleasant adventure in color-various tints of blues, grays, which has parking facilities for 2,400 cars. 100,000 Square Fttt Architectural style of the greens, reds and yellows each new complex is contemporary Liih stnrv fn Aii Hnf.

and iS Constructed Of Steel init miscinn In nnmnlich an. frame masonry. It consists oflCordini, t0 mamB w. R. Whit- aker, a main sales building, an automotive center and attached In fact, there are more than 100 different colors in use within warehouse.

The buildings have a gross area of 100,000 square feet. the store on settings, wall space Tliis view shows how floor covering and lamp departments of store's Homo Kurnishinc Center will apivar. Picture shews Bloomington, store but one here is Identical and display fixtures. Sears has The store design, display conducted extensive research to find hues to which customers and employes will respond favorably. In the Bloomington Sears World's No I Retailer, Thoto of store In St Cloud, shows how Apparel Center of Bloomlngtori store will appear.

Self -selection Is emphasized in new store. Note the wide atsles. Manager Says Sears Store Designed for Convenience Sears Entered Retail Field store are Incorporated the latest findings of the long study. A tour of the store indicates how the various colors go about their duties of "illustrating" or Growing Faster Than Ever highlighting merchandise and 40 Years Ago performing "service" functions By ROBERT GOLDENS.TEIW Retail merchandising has come a long way since the days Sears store manager explains. 1 items they wish to buy.

About "In the 'good old the the only lines which are dis-prevailirig practice was to tuck played in glass showcases are in a quiet but forceful manner. In the women's wear depart CHICAGO (AP)-In the his By 1925, U.S. population was of the old-fashioned dry goods 15 million and the face of the items awav ass enc osed canay. leweiry, cameras, ana some cosmetics," he said. counters, safely out of reach." nation was changing.

The automobile had come into ment, for example, the walls above the lights are painted in rich feminine shades of wine and rose. Below the lights, the surroundings are an unobtru tory of American retailing, many good companies start small, enjoy a period of steady growth and Uien level off as tliey become large and complex. Sears. Roebuck and now "In our Sears store, by con trast, almost all the merchan 100,000 Items Self-selection is one of the its own, and with it people became mobile. What's more.

store; just how far, you realize when you see the sparkling, attractive interior of the new Sears Bloomington store. "The concept of displaying merchandise has undergone a dramatic change for the better," William B. Whitaker, dise is attractively displayed in keys to time-saying, convenient the open so that customers can shopping at Sears. The modern see, touch, inspect, select, and shopper typically spends only sive beige and egg shell to high' light the merchandise. 51 Departments The new store has 51 mer the world's largest nailer In volume of sales, Isn't following people were moving from farm to city, with less than half still living in rural areas.

Viewing this scene, a new in some cases even operate me, about 30 minutes in a depart that pattern. It's growing faster chandise departments ranging Sears vice president, General Robert E. Wood, argued Sears infai wear to building should open retail stores to materials. Among the features 'it i i Whitaker To Manage New Sears Store will be a garden shop and cof capitalize on the growing mobil ment store on each visit, according to Mr. Whitaker, and Sears self-selection helps speed her shopping duties.

Of course, courteous salespeople also are always available to help, he added. But not only is merchandise out where customers can see, feel and select it, there's a lot ity of the people and the ever- now than a decade ago. In 12 Countries With no end of the expansion cycle in sight. Sears now has 11 catalogue order plants, more than 775 retail stores and more than 1.100 catalogue sales offices. It is operating in 12 nations In North and South America and is planning to invade the expanding urban population fee house for snacks and light meals.

In the large home furnishings division Sears is displaying which traditionally shopped in Any list of the "busiest men stores. many of the furnishings in au in Bloomington" would have to Thus, early in 1925, as an ex periment, the company opened more of it on display than was include the name of William B. Whitaker, local manager for its first retail store in a corner thentic room settings to highlight the company's latest furniture, kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. the case in yesteryear. Today's store offers the customers of European market Dy opening: two retail stores in Spain.

ti lu. ik. rinli! of its Chicago mail order plant. Sears, Roebuck and Co, ts success was so great that Mr. Whitaker earned that rep- Mr.

Whitaker rates his shoe the company soon launched a Bloomington over 100,000 different items from which to choose. il uuiiia uic dime mau mau In almost every line except food, liquor and autos and com deDartment one of the finest in utation by directing the myriad full-scale retail expansion pro Illinois. Another of his top de- of activities connected with pre- gram which saw Sears retail petes successfully against dis partments is radio television paring me new store in uasi- store sales volume exceed mail Fewer Drawers To display this large assort counters offering the stiffest and stereo. The hardware and order volume by 1931. price competition.

land Shopping Center for its opening while at the same time continuing to supervise the sports departments also rank ment of merchandise, most of the fixtures have been designed Open Store in Cuba Sears makes 2 per cent of total U.S. retail sales and 6 per cent of sales in its own mer Today Sears stores, number- operations of the old store at without the surplus-stock drawers traditionally found in mer Alvah Roebuck was a watchmaker in Hammond, in 1887 when he answered a want ad in the April 1 Chicago Daily News. The man who placed the ad, Richard W. Sears, hired Roebuck, starting what was to become famous partnership, Richard V. Sears was a youthful station agent in North Redwood, In 1886 when ho accepted a shipment of watches refused by a local jeweler.

He sold the watches to other agents, thus launching business which was fo lead to Sears, Roebuck and Co. ng more than 775, account for 312 N. Center which closed chandise lines. more than three quarters of with the finest in Sears, he adds. Customer Services The list of customer services includes catalog ordering, decorator shop, gift wrapping, cus chandise tables.

For increased Sears annual sales volume. Through its savings and profit According to Mr. Whitaker! convenience, the merchandise Another highly important step sharing pension fund, the com is all neatly arranged on his jobs are doing fine because pany pays the average employe of the teamwork shown by a was taken In 1942 when General Wood, by then Sears board shelves fully exposed to the customer. with 25 to 30 years of service a tom-made draperies-slip covers and installation of fencing, veteran crew of men and wo tidy retirement nest egg ranging Compared with traditional chairman, opened a store in Havana, Cuba, the company's floor-covering, plumbing-heating, air-conditioning and awn fixtures which have reserve evitable mistakes, although not up to more than 125,000. Formula for Success What is Sears' secret of name of the firm became Sears, Roebuck Co.

men at both locations. "One important reason why things are going well is that we're all so proud to have this handsome new store as our ings and bunds. important enough to alter the William B. Whitaker first permanent outlet in a foreign land. With World War IT shortages stock drawers, Sears new fixtures increase the merchandise on display by about one- Sears Automotive Center lo corporate course.

A Sears buyer Ideal Combination ated from Indiana University in cated in a separate section of It snnran Spam simolv has once convinced himself that of refrigerators, stoves, and the Just before the turn of the the main store features an 8- 1947 with a B.S. degree in busi-j im.ra- -rr- -T home soon," he explains. From Indiana gardening dresses could become the knack of doing the right ness administration, wnue at century, Roebuck resigned be rtiiuuiei luiiveiiieme ieaiura of Sears new store is that stock good time to open stores. super-service station which in. the store nrnsnPreH on it 18 manned experienced thing at the right tune.

Tnrfiana ho was nrpsirtpnt nfi a red-hot item and ordered of them. The item never Mr. Whitaker Is a native of cause of ill health and Julius As the farm population began Phi Kappa Psi social fraternity. I areas adjacent to the sell- Scotland, and was gradu- nifkir. t-rt njr crew grew warmer than an Icicle and Rosenwald, a Chicago clothing ing floor.

This saves the cus He joined Sears in March coming to the cities in cars, Sears decided In the mid 1920s only about 100 were The manufacturer, purchased an in garments ultimately were do to add retail stores to the origi- Machine Identifies terest in the firm. Sears' promotional skill and tal mail order catalogue busi-'nated to a relief program for 1947 as a trainee in the Anderson, Ind. store. Subsequently, he served as assistant manager of the Kokomo, Ind. and Lexington, Ky.

stores and as a merchandising field man with the Hungarian refugees. Rosenwald business acumen tomer's time by making all merchandise immediately available if it cannot be found on the sales floor itself. In older stores, Mr. Whitaker recalls, salespeople usually had to go to stock rooms in distant parts of alone. In 1947, with war shortages disappearing, Sears opened a store in Mexico City.

"Six years later," according to one report, "Sears of the largest retail merchants in Mexico, and one of the dozen largest private Began 80 Years Ago Sears had its origin in 1886 as Repair Parts Needed the R. W. Sears Watch Co. A Customers of the new Sears Once you know your appli Midwestern Retail Zone. He was named head of the Bloomington Bloomington store will have no unit in April 1963 trouble solving what often is During World War II, he corporations in the country in gross business, in net profit, and in taxes paid." Move Into Canada Today Sears has more than one of the homeowners most perplexing problems finding served for 2Vz years with the made an ideal combination.

By the time Sears retired in 1909, the company was doing $50 million worth of business annually. Since then, Sears has grown and prospered at a faster rate than the nation. In 1955, the company had sales of more than $3.3 billion. Sales grew to more than $5.7 billion in fiscal 1964 and to more than $6.4 billion in the last 11 months. Sears' profits increased 16.5 per cent in fiscal 1964 and rose ance model number, all we have to do is select the microfilm showing the parts for that appliance, slip it into the viewer and, within seconds, you can identify the part you need from its picture on the screen." The next step is simply to Army Air Force.

the proper replacement part for Has Three Children the appliance he owns the building. Can Find Cashier Still another time-saving convenience is the location of cashiers at strategic points so that customers can purchase merchandise without having to wait for a clerk to be free. Sears emphasis on self-selee-tion, however, is more than just a matter of having more merchandise within easy reach. Customers want complete and 65 stores or sales offices in nine Caribbean, Central, and South In Bloomington, Mr. Whitaker has been active in a number of All he has to know is the model number of the appliance ness.

The company decided to control the cost, quality and quantity of its merchandise by ordering to its own specifications. It is responsible for the design details of 95 per cent of the goods tt sells. Sears made a series of decisions to invest in supplier corporations. This enables the company to increase its prime strength in distribution and has led to some sizeable capital gains. Spurt After War It decided to diversify Into Insurance and other financial services fci its fast-growing AU-State operation and All-State now is about ready to add mutual fund investment selling operation.

Sears decided to expand ag American countries. civic organizations including the obtain the replacement part and he can view a photo of the shipment of gold-filled watches had arrived at the railroad station in North Redwood, but the jeweler to whom they were addressed refused to accept them, saying he hadn't ordered them. Richard W. Sears, the 23-year-old railroad station agent sought and received permission to dispose of them. His success in selling them to fellow agents on the railroad marked the beginning of his new career.

By the fall of 1886, his watch business had reached such proportions that he quit his railroad job and opened an office in Minneapolis. The following year he Sears expansion overseas was from the store stock of parts matched in 1953 by expansion he needs in less than 20 Association of Commerce and Junior Achievement. He resides at 20 Norbloom seconds. or the company's pool of more into Canada than 350,000 parts. another 11.9 per cent in the last This speedy identification Is possible because Sears' new Now to Europe with his wife, the former Bar With Sears each year Introducing some 3,000 models of ap Sears currently Is expanding honest information about what they are buying.

Well-planned signs on the fixtures help tell bara Rider of Anderson, and their three children, William B. 15, Kathy, 14, and into Europe, with plans to open two stores in Spain late in 1966. 11 months. Will Design Your Kitchen pliances requiring parts listing, the company finds its microfilming is big business. Sears David 9.

The family attends the features of the merchandise. And the packages the Bloomington store is equipped with a unique microfilm parts viewer. All the hundreds of thousands of parts in Sears appliances are photographed on microfilm, W. B. Whitaker, store manager, explains.

Second Presbyterian Church, Sears Packages Informative Sears will offer a unique Mr. Whitaker lists his favorite hobby as golf "when I have transferred operations to Chica uses more than three million feet of microfilm annually in keeping its replacement parts lists up to date. nnH hiivH a watchmaker kitchen-planning service to gressively after World War II time to get in a few holes." nH nfwmntftH the hest Ua-lnamed Alvah C. Roebuck to! homeowners who are consider Sears has an Informative Packaging and Labeling Divi tions. It also decided to expand 1 handle the repair work on theiing remodeling their kitchens, wft iitu nnH nlav nn stvle limenieres he had sold.

Sears experts can plan and en- merchandise comes carry valuable information about such matters as price, style, color, size, fabric, washing instruff. tions, and the like. Many Stores in One The new Bloomington Sears store is actually several "shopping centers" where customers can quickly buy related lines and fashion along with The association was success-'gineer the most efficient kitch- sion in Chicago where writers, designers and artists get together to survey the packaging But there have been some in- ful and in 1893 tJie corporate en possible. needs of the thousands of items of merchandise that are car of merchandise. One such center is the horn a ried in Sears stores across the country.

Safety In shipping, protection from handling and exposure, furnishings center with the furniture department as its hub. Related departments in this are considered first. Then all center' include floor cover ings, lamps, draperies, domestics and the like. An apparel center, houseware and appliances center, and efforts bend to the task of creating a package that will make shopping quick, easy, and convenient. They try to produce containers that tell you what you want to know clearly and briefly.

And this is more than a matter of size, 1 and price. Sears policy of Informative Dackacinc tells what an item hardware, home improvement, and repair center are among the other major shopping cen- i i i i rmi i iiiuji. -r lers in tne store, all designed for maximum customer convenience. Grouping related departments and related lines of merchandise together in shopping cen is made of; how to use it; how! -VX to assemble it or install it whether it will shrink or stretch; how to wash or care for it; whether it carries a spe Hilar- cial guarantee; and all other in-i formation about the product that ters makes it easier and more convenient for customers to find and select the merchandise they want, the manager says. He also pointed with pride to the wide aisles in the store.

"Customers don't like to ha you would ant to know. Free Advice Given In Store or Home Both at the store and in cus- crowded" Mr. Whitaker said. new fixtures allow us to iden our main customer aisles to eight feet, and our merchandise aisles to four and one-half feet." A unique microfilm projector viewer like the one shown here aids customers at Soars identify the home appliance repair parts they need. When the customer knows the model number of the appliance for which he needs a part, he can view and identify a picture of the part in less than 20 seconds.

This unpretentious railroad station in North Redwood. was the first home of a mail-order business which later spread throughout the L'nited States. Here. In 1886, Richard W. Sears launched the business which was to make his.

name famous. i'tomers' homes, a free home decorating service it provided by Sears..