Sears Kicks Off 2004 Lawn and Garden Season With Sleek New Models

The new 2004 models have arrived, sporting sleek lines, high performance engines and innovative features. Prospective buyers, imagining how great one of these shiny new machines would look parked in their garage, are sure to take long looks, kick tires and slide their hands over the smooth lines of the glossy body panels.

But the new models attracting attention in this case aren't cars or trucks. In fact, some may never set their wheels on pavement, although they will see plenty of off-road action. They're part of the new 2004 line-up of tractors and mowers now on display in lawn and garden "showrooms" of more than 1,100 Sears, Sears Hardware, and Sears Appliance and Hardware stores around the country.

"We're ready for spring," said Jeff Rothe, vice president and general manager of Sears Lawn and Garden. "Along with more than 40 new models, we have some of our best sellers from recent years to give us a complete line of lawn tractors and mowers to meet everyone's needs.

"Sears sells more mowers and tractors for lawn and garden use than any other retailer in the U.S.," Rothe added. "And Sears backs its Craftsman lawn and garden products with great service, warranties and our 'Satisfaction Guaranteed or your Money Back' policy."

Innovation has long been a part of the Craftsman lawn and garden line, including mowers introduced last year with the Dust Blocker grass bag, designed to reduce the amount of airborne dust directed at the operator, a real plus for allergy sufferers.

This year, Craftsman adds a Fresh Start feature to several of its mowers, which is designed to make starting and running engines easier by keeping gas stabilized in between uses. Fresh Start is a Sears exclusive feature available on six models of Craftsman lawnmowers with Briggs & Stratton engines. Fresh Start cartridges snap into a specially designed gas cap and systematically release a highly concentrated fuel stabilizer into the fuel tank. Fresh Start helps prevent gumming and varnish buildup in the engine's carburetor due to stale gas.

The Craftsman DLT 3000 is one of the new tractor mower models for 2004. It has a six-speed transmission to deliver the right speed for mulching, bagging or broadcasting clippings, and a four-gallon gas tank increases run time. With an ergonomic, high back, cushioned seat, this tractor is comfortable, and it's extremely versatile with more than 60 optional attachments to handle multiple jobs around the house.

  What else is new at Sears this spring?
  -- Three new models of Craftsman lawn mowers are powered by Honda engines,
     which, at idle speed, are quiet enough to hold a normal conversation.
     The compact construction minimizes the number of moving parts, making
     the engine reliable, quieter and easier to operate.
  -- The new Craftsman ZT 7000 series lawn tractor gives drivers the
     precision of zero-turning, which has been a standard on commercial
     mowers for several years.  Independent right and left steering controls
     enable a driver to navigate quickly and easily around flower beds,
     trees, swing sets or other yard obstacles.
  -- Pressure washers have become a fixture in many households, and Sears
     has added two new ones to its seven-model line.  The Craftsman 2500-psi
     pressure washer is powerful enough to clean decks and patios and has
     dual cleaning solution containers, enabling the operator to go from one
     job to another without changing cleaning solutions.
  -- Other new products in the Sears' lawn and garden department include
     electric trimmers, hoses and nozzles, sprinklers and a mini-tiller
     cultivator.

  About Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. With revenues in 2003 of $41.1 billion, the company offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the U.S. and Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears is the only retailer where consumers can find each of the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End brands together - among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the largest provider of product repair services with more than 14 million services calls made annually.

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: William B. Masterson of Sears, Roebuck and Co.,
+1-847-286-2304

Web site: http://www.sears.com/