Sears and Latina Magazine Join Forces to Launch Exclusive Hispanic-Inspired Women's Apparel Line

Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Latina Media Ventures, the publisher of Latina magazine, today announced an exclusive partnership to create Latina Life™, a new line of apparel, footwear and handbags influenced by the style of Hispanic women.

Latina Life apparel, which is designed primarily by Jones Apparel Group under the fashion direction and counsel of Latina magazine, represents the sophisticated lifestyle needs of fashion-conscious and career-oriented women, and Sears' deep commitment to the Hispanic consumer. It also reflects Latina's position as the leading bilingual magazine for Hispanic women, dedicated to their unique lifestyle and fashion sense, which lends credibility to the new line. Latina Life-branded merchandise will debut at 425 Sears stores in Fall 2005, and an assortment of merchandise will be available on sears.com. The brand will be extended to include costume jewelry and other accessories in Spring 2006.

Latina Life will be one of the first women's clothing lines launched by a major retailer and a leading Hispanic-focused media partner. Women visiting Sears this fall will find a variety of wardrobe separates in extended sizes 2-20 and priced between $36 and $79. These separates represent an active lifestyle and a unique sense of self with a curve-conscious fit. Latina Life will be marketed nationwide through an integrated mix of Sears and Latina magazine cross marketing and public relations efforts, including in-store signage, direct mail, seasonal magazine inserts, newspaper inserts in English and Spanish-language publications, editorial features, fashion makeovers, and on sears.com and latina.com.

"This partnership combines a trusted, value-focused retailer with a magazine that has established itself as a leader by providing its readers with the latest news on Latina fashion and beauty," said Gwen Manto, Sears executive vice president and general merchandise manager, Softlines. "We expect Latina Life apparel, footwear and handbags to appeal to a diverse population of fashionable women who are looking for fresh, beautifully- designed and well-fitted pieces that can take them affordably from work to weekend."

"The creation of Latina Life is an important step toward extending Latina beyond its pages into a multidimensional brand, with apparel and accessories that truly celebrate accomplished Hispanic women who are succeeding in today's world," commented Fabio Freyre, CEO of Latina Media Ventures. "Joining forces with Sears, a company that, like Latina, enjoys tremendous brand equity in the Hispanic community, is a perfect fit. We look forward to working with the Sears team to develop collections that appeal to our Latina customers from season to season."

Key Latina Life wardrobe separates include animal print faux fur jackets, embellished camis, shrug sets with velvet piping, sheer mesh tops, ruched paisley skirts and fitted pants with contoured yokes and piping. Footwear and handbags feature rich colors in luxe suede, metallic, faux fur, croc leather and animal print, along with studs, beading and rhinestone embellishments.

The Hispanic market is an important audience for retailers today given that it represents more than 13 percent of the U.S. population and incomes in the community have grown dramatically in recent years.

About Latina Magazine

Latina magazine covers the best in Latin fashion, beauty and culture on a monthly basis, and also features celebrity profiles and interviews. Latina has been featured on the Adweek Hot List, honored as Best Magazine by Advertising Age and awarded a Silver Eddie for editorial excellence in the Women's Consumer Lifestyle category. Latina also ranked seventh for circulation growth and 15th for advertising growth on Advertising Age's 2004 list of the Top 300 Magazines.

About Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 14 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com/ or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com/ .

Forward-Looking Statements

This document and other public announcements contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: the ability to successfully introduce the Latina Life brand into the Sears stores; competitive conditions in retail and related services industries; changes in consumer confidence, tastes, preferences and spending; the availability and level of consumer debt; trade restrictions, tariffs, and other factors potentially affecting the ability to find qualified vendors and access products in an efficient manner; the ability to successfully implement initiatives to improve inventory management capabilities; social and political conditions such as war, political unrest and terrorism or natural disasters; the impact of seasonal buying patterns, which are difficult to forecast with certainty; and general economic conditions and normal business uncertainty. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the time first made, and no undertaking has been made to update or revise them as more information becomes available.

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: Lee Antonio of Sears, +1-847-286-5569, or Jeannette Castaneda
of Latina, +1-212-849-8258

Web site: http://www.sears.com/
http://www.searsholdings.com/
http://www.searsmedia.com/
http://www.latina.com/