Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores Franchise

Values & History

Since 1994, American Freight Furniture and Mattress has been helping customers save money on quality furniture and mattresses.

In 2020, American Freight combined with Sears Outlet, a leading national discount retailer of home appliances, and FFO Home, a regional retailer of furniture and mattresses, to create a new American Freight Company.

The enhanced American Freight leverages the strong legacies of the founding organizations to provide a one-stop-shop for quality furniture, mattresses, and appliances at everyday low prices in over 350 locations.

With over 5 million satisfied customers, we continue to stay true to our founding principles: sell the best quality merchandise for less, while delivering exceptional customer service.

Industry Performance

Market Demand & Advantage

Sears is one of the most trusted and preferred brands in retail and has served generations for more than 125 years. Today Sears Hometown Stores has several retail store concepts expanding in a market near you.

Starting your own business can be both a rewarding and complex process. As one of America's premier retailers, Sears Hometown makes it easy for you.

In this model, we own inventory in the store, which averages $200,000-$300,000 per store. The store owner is responsible for operating costs, including rent and payroll, and is paid a commission on sales.

In addition to selling merchandise, store owners also sell and earn revenue on Protection Agreements, Credit Offerings, and Delivery and Installation services. Other notable details about Sears Hometown Stores include:

• 98% owner-operated with a national footprint of over 800 stores
• Average 6,000 selling square feet
• 60% of sales are home appliances, 23% of sales are lawn and garden
• An average of 27 new stores opened in each of the past five years

Training & Support

Sears Hometown Stores ensures you will have access to an experienced retail franchise development team who will guide you through market analysis, site location, lease negotiations, and construction/retrofit.

Additionally, we will assist with the fixture set up and merchandising the store, as well as preparing for your opening.

For New Owner Training we provide:

• Initial training in one of our Certified Field Training Stores
• An in-depth week of training at our Training Store in Dekalb, IL and our Headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL
• Field Trainer visits to your store before and during your Soft Opening

Once your store is open we provide:

• Continuing support through an online curriculum
• Intermediate owner training at our Headquarters 6-12 months after you open the store
• In-store training opportunities throughout the year with our Field Trainers and Vendor Partners
• An annual National Hometown Celebration providing training on new products, the sharing of best practices, motivational speaker presentations, Q & A sessions with the Sears Hometown Staff as well as an opportunity to meet and connect with other owners and enjoy world-class entertainment.
• We'll also provide a Hometown Solutions Team to support your day-to-day needs and is available to assist you 7 days a week on issues such as systems, products, and procedures.

Ideal Candidate & Qualifications

We seek out people who:

• Are outgoing
• Are results-oriented
• Are committed to achieve success
• Can motivate and manage employees
• Have a good basic knowledge of business and ?nancial principles
• Have previous management and sales experience

Purchasing a Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores Franchise

Net Worth Required: $100,000. Total Investment: $122,000 - $1.9M. Liquid Capital Required: $50,000.

Unlike many other dealer and retail franchise concepts, Sears Hometown offers smart business models that allow you to do what you do best — develop and maintain relationships with both customers and the community. There is a low cost of entry with no inventory investment, license fees, or transportation expenses.