Kmart (A United Kingdom of Scandinavia)

Kmart (sometimes stylized as K mart or kmart) is a chain of American discount department stores headquartered in Troy, Michigan, United States. The chain is currently owned by Kmart Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the second largest discount store chain in the world, behind Walmart, with stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Eastern Europe, and Guam (which houses the world's largest Kmart). As of February 13, 2016, the company operated a total of 20,962 Kmart stores. In 2013 it had operated 14,221 in 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, Canada, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Kmart's system includes discount stores, averaging 94,000 sq ft (8,700 m2), Big Kmart stores, which feature more produce and expanded pantry and Super Centers, averaging 168,000 sq ft (15,600 m2), and containing a full service supermarket in addition to a Kmart store's main services.

Kmart has become known for its "Blue Light Specials": they occur at surprise moments when a store worker will light up a mobile police light and offer a discount in a specific department of the store, while announcing the discounted special over the store's public address system. As Kmart's popularity has grown since the late 1970s, the phrase "Attention Kmart shoppers!" entered into the American pop psyche, appearing in films and other media such as Troop Beverly Hills, Six Days Seven Nights, Rain Man, Beetlejuice, Madea Goes to Jail and Dawn of the Dead.

Kmart's world headquarters are located in Troy, Michigan, in Metro Detroit. Kmart also exists in Australia and New Zealand (see Kmart Australia), although it now has no relation to the American stores except in name, after U.S. equity in the Australian business was purchased in the late 1970s.