Sears, Roebuck and Co. to offer General Electric Company's innovative Brillion(TM)-enabled products that will give consumers easy control over 60% of their home's energy usage for exceptional savings, convenience and peace of mind--and it can all be done remotely through the GE Nucleus(TM) Home Manager's iPhone(R) app. Over 100 Sears stores in the Northeast will offer the GE Get Connected Starter Kit, plus the GE programmable thermostat and GE's GeoSpring(TM) Hybrid Water Heater, all with Brillion(TM) technology, in one location. The Get Connected Starter Kit includes the GE Nucleus Home Manager that gives consumers visibility into their household energy use and the GE Appliance Communication Module that will enable remote control of GE's Brillion-enabled appliances. These devices will allow consumers to receive text or email alerts, enable remote-control capability and track each appliance's energy usage. The GE programmable thermostat with Brillion technology also offers greater convenience and energy control with programmable scheduling functionality from the desktop computer and remote access from an iPhone. The first GE appliance to work with the Get Connected Starter Kit is the GeoSpring Hybrid Water Heater. The GeoSpring hybrid technology saves 62% more energy over a traditional electric water heater which creates an annual savings of about $325.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. announced the upcoming launch of Metaphor, their latest ready-to-wear fashion line targeted towards young, fashion conscious women with an emphasis on career. The apparel collection, which is scheduled to hit stores in August, will include jackets, trousers, shirts and dresses at price points reasonable to every fashionista. The line will be complemented by fashion footwear and jewelry. The launch is designed to appeal to a new generation of women who are aware of the latest fashion trends but remain budget conscious. Metaphor will offer playful yet chic separates that gives the working woman a variety of options to easily transform herself from a day at the office to cocktails with girlfriends at night, and more. The line will appeal to women of all shapes and sizes, and will be aimed at those who are seeking a versatile wardrobe to complement their on-the-go lifestyle.

The Great Indoors announced that the company is closing its two remaining stores in California - in Irvine and Burbank - and will lay off 158 workers. Employees at the two California stores were notified on June 28. In Irvine, 71 workers will be laid off, while 87 will lose their jobs in Burbank. The company said the store liquidations will begin July 7. The company expects the stores to close to the public at the end of August. Sears closed The Great Indoors in Chino Hills in 2009 due to poor performance.