Crain’s Headlines: Sears Cutting Hundreds of Corporate Jobs


Sears is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs at its Hoffman Estates headquarters and at an office in San Francisco.

The layoffs come just a week after the retailer announced another wave of store closures that amounted to about a third of its Sears and Kmart outposts nationwide. Business Insider, an online news source, says Sears cut around 300 corporate employees Thursday, though a source familiar with the situation tells Crain’s the actual number is below 300.

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Back in September, Sears eliminated 250 jobs in Hoffman Estates.

In other Chicago-area business news:

The longtime CEO of Rush Copley Medical Center is heading for the exits.

Barry Finn is retiring after 23 years at the Aurora hospital. Under Finn’s leadership, Rush Copley became part of the Rush University system in 2017.

Finn’s successor will be the current chief operating officer, John Diedrich.

And finally, Motorola is bringing back its Razr flip phone, this time as a foldable device that will sell at a price point of $1,500.

The original Razr became a cultural icon following its launch back in 2004, selling 130 million units worldwide before being eclipsed by the 2007 launch of Apple’s iPhone.

The new Razr will compete with foldable phones from Samsung and others that open on a hinge like a book. The Motorola version will instead open and close like a classic flip phone. The new model hits the market in January.


Crain’s Headlines is a joint production between WTTW and Crain’s Chicago Business. It airs every Monday through Thursday on the WTTW News program “Chicago Tonight.” 


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