Sears, once known as Sears, Roebuck and Co, was founded in 1892. Its store count peaked at over 3,000, and it was the largest retailer in America for decades, until Walmart topped it in 1990. By 2005, Sears had weakened so much that hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert bought it for $11 billion, using his ownership in Kmart to complete the transaction. The combined business declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018.