corporate info

ST. JOHN'S, Nov. 3, 2005 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX News Network) -- Sears Canada Inc. (TSX: SCC) today officially opened the doors to its new department store in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with Brent Hollister, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sears Canada, in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The new 143,000 square foot store located in the Avalon Mall at 48 Kenmount Road, will offer St. John's consumers a vast selection of merchandise in a larger and more convenient location.

"We are thrilled to offer our large and loyal customer base in St. John's another Sears to shop and enjoy," said Brent Hollister, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sears Canada. "The new store reflects the Company's multi-year renovation plan including its prototype design which provides a modern shopping environment designed with our customers in mind."

The new and improved Avalon store offers an easy-to-shop interior with wide aisles with clear and bright sight lines, colour-coded departments and convenient shopping carts, which allow customers to navigate the store more quickly and easily.

The current Sears store located in the Village Mall remains open, and has a Sears Home store within a department store format offering customers a much broader selection of furniture, mattresses and major appliances. The lower level of the store will continue with its current offering of family fashions, footwear, cosmetics and more.

Approximately half of the more than 220 associates in the two-level Sears Village Mall store were relocated to the new larger one-level Sears Avalon store.

Canadians spend more of their fashion dollars at Sears than any other retailer in the country. St. John's customers will find an impressive selection of merchandise. The women's, men's and children's fashion and footwear selections will include brands such as Jessica(TM), Nevada(TM), Nygard, Osh Kosh, Columbia, Point Zero, Nike and Reebock.

"Whether our customers are shopping for national or private brand fashions and accessories, footwear, cosmetics or home fashions, Sears has made shopping for their wants and needs much more convenient," said Chris Merrick, Store Manager, Sears St. John's Avalon. "The Sears Avalon Mall store offers a wider selection in a larger and more convenient location, backed by exceptional customer service," says Merrick.

The Sears Avalon store is open Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 10:00pm, Saturday 8:00am to 10:00pm and Sunday 12:00am to 5:00pm. As part of the opening ceremony, a cheque for $10,000 was presented by the Sears Young Futures program to the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of St. John's.

Sears Canada is a multi-channel retailer with a network of 191 corporate stores, 177 dealer stores, 62 home improvement showrooms, over 2,100 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations, 113 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and installation network. The Company also publishes Canada's most extensive general merchandise catalogue and offers shopping online at www.sears.ca

SOURCE: Sears Canada Inc.

Chris Merrick, Sears Canada Inc., (709) 634-6934 ex: 400, cmerri3@sears.ca; Katarina
Kristanic, Sears Canada Inc., (416) 941-4424, Katarina.Kristanic@sears.ca