Among other services and products, the sites will be carrying an extensive selection of tires, including Michelin, Goodyear, BFGoodrich and Bridgestone.
All five of the stores are scheduled to open within two years in Richmond and throughout Central Virginia.
Sears launched the auto franchise program in October of last year, offering car dealers a chance to operate Sears Auto Centers "backed by the buying power, distribution network and corporate support of one of America's most iconic brands," according to John Gohde, a divisional Sears vice president.
"We are creating an opportunity to leverage Sears Automotive's scale, business processes and brands so that dealers can build their businesses in service, parts and used vehicles," Gohde says."Our franchisees are great business people with years of experience in selling and servicing vehicles," he adds. "They have great facilities that need to be used to their fullest. Together, we can provide each other a great opportunity to grow our businesses."
"This is an outstanding opportunity for us to partner with a national firm like Sears that shares our commitment to doing business the right way," says Ted Linhart, Dominion's CEO.
"Customers rely on the Sears name for auto repairs, tires, DieHard batteries and Craftsman tools," Linhart notes. "Richmonders trust Dominion to do what we say we will and to be fair and honest in our dealings. It's an ideal merger of similar philosophies."
The Dominion stores will fly the Sears Auto Center banner but be operated locally by a new Dominion division called Dominion Service Centers.
There are nearly 850 company-owned Sears Auto Centers in the U.S.; Gohde says franchises still remain available to qualified dealers.
For more information, visit www.sears.com and www.searsholdings.com.
