Ace Hardware

As mentioned already, the same corporation owns both Kmart and Sears.

And they're both pretty much on the verge of bankruptcy. While Craftsman is a part of Sears, its kind of a separate arm of the company.

So why are Ace and Summit and other places selling Craftsman tools? My guess would be that Craftsman is going to be a separate company in the near future, when Kmart and Sears declare bankruptcy. Sears will go away, Craftsman will continue. Adding retailers will allow Craftsman to live on without Sears if it comes to that, and in the meantime directs some revenue back into Sears.

*edit*

StrokerScamp and I must have been typing at the same time :D