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Sears May Convert Some Catalogue Stores: Sears, Roebuck & Co. may keep up to 25% of its independently owned catalogue stores open as retail outlets. Owners of the 2,000 catalogue stores were told last week that they would have to close shop by the end of the year, since Sears is pulling out of the catalogue business. That would have put 10,000 to 15,000 people out of work, in addition to the 50,000 employees slated to lose their jobs as part of the retailer’s major restructuring. But the company said it may allow 200 to 500 of the independent owners to stock their stores with Sear-supplied tools, electronics and appliances.