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Shop Talk

Retailers, consumers and prices

09:35 July 16th, 2009

Check Out Line: What’s in a name?

Posted by: Brad Dorfman
Tags: Shop Talk, , , , ,

Check out the “What you talkin’ ’bout Willis Tower.” 
 

As of today, the Sears Tower will be no more, at least in the minds of the executives at the British insurance broker that now has the naming rights for the building.
 
On Thursday, the signs on the erstwhile Sears Tower will read Willis Tower instead, changing the name of what was once the tallest building in the world.
 
Sears the retailer left the tower for a new headquarters in 1991. But the Sears Tower, once the world’s tallest building, arguably remained more prominent than the retailer, which has lost ground to retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart.
 
“To Chicagoans this is not just a commercial building. It is a monument to who we are and the kind of city we live in,” Chicago History Museum curator John Russick said.
 
So while the signs say “Willis Tower,” the lips in Chicago are likely to keep saying “Sears Tower” for a long, long time.
 
Also in the basket:
 
CIT talks fall apart, bankruptcy looms
 
Electrolux cautious despite Q2 profit
 
Kellwood options limited if it doesn’t repay debt

Amazon sued over Kindle, claim alleges breakage

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