• Chicago Tribune, Thursday, October 27, 2011 10:50 AM

Sears Holdings Corp. is hoping to stem a five-year sales decline by focusing on its brands like DieHard, Craftsman and Kenmore. Deals are in place to sell DieHard and Craftsman through other retailers, while executives have begun to look at ways to make money from the Kenmore brand without damaging Sears' core appliance business.

The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company is looking for a licensing agency to put Sears' own brands logos on products it doesn't already sell. A request for bids began circulating to interested parties in August, per sources. Sears is also looking at selling Kenmore appliance products, such as vacuums and humidifiers, through Costco Wholesale Corp., as well as putting the Kenmore name on products it doesn't already sell, such as wind turbines and solar panels, according to another source familiar with the plans.

Read the whole story at Chicago Tribune »