Sears to let 100 go at headquarters HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. retail giant Sears Holdings confirmed it would lay off 100 employees at its company headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The layoffs are "not in any one department," company spokesman Chris Brathwaite said. "These decisions are never easy but they are necessary as part of our efforts to transform the company," he said. "We are well above the minimum headcount requirements," Brathwaite said, referring to the state of Illinois, which granted Sears $275 million in local and state tax breaks in 2011. To qualify for the tax breaks, Sears is required to have 4,250 employees in the state and now has 6,000, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. Hoffman Estates is a suburb of Chicago.