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Why seeing Sears stores close hurts hearts
With Sears filing for bankruptcy and so many stores closing, the end may be drawing near for the iconic American retailer. Many of us aren’t ready.
USA TODAY
More Sears and Kmart stores are set to close in the coming months.
Nearly two years after Transformco acquired the struggling retailers out of bankruptcy, at least 13 Sears and seven Kmart stores are slated to close by mid-April. Liquidation sales are expected to end at a handful of additional stores by late February.
SB360 Capital Partners is managing the store closing sales, according to the liquidation firm’s website, which includes a list of 33 stores. Some stores on the list are already closed including the Sears in Pasadena, Texas.
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A few stores announced their upcoming demise on their Facebook pages.
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“We were gearing up to bring you another season of Kmart fun, but unfortunately that was not in the cards for us this go around,” a closing store in Silver Spring, Maryland, posted on its Facebook page, saying it expected to close in mid-April.
The Kingston, Pennsylvania Kmart posted on Facebook Wednesday that it would start its liquidation sale Thursday after almost 47 years.
Transformco did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on how many stores would remain after the closings, information liquidation sales and an official closure list.
The company has not posted a list of store closures since November 2019 when it announced 96 stores would shutter by February 2020. At that time, the company said it would operate 182 stores after the closures.
There have been additional closings but no large announcements have been made since 2019. A recent Forbes article estimates there will be about 30 Kmart and 36 Sears stores left after the new closings.
Both chains were owned by Sears Holdings, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018 and narrowly escaped liquidation in early 2019. They were sold to their longtime investor and CEO, Eddie Lampert, who has kept them alive on a shoestring budget under the company name Transformco.
Sears and Kmart have closed more than 3,500 stores and cut about 250,000 jobs in the past 15 years.
Transformco announced in a mid-January news release that it completed the sale and assignment of five closed Kmart stores to Target. The locations include the former Kmart stores in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina; Jackson, Wyoming; Scotts Valley, California; Wall, New Jersey; and Auburn, Maine.
Scott Carr, president of Transformco Properties, said the company “continues to pursue opportunities to create value from its real estate portfolio and to partner with retailers, property owners and communities as part of the ongoing reinvention of retail real estate.”
Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and J.C. Penney have announced 2021 store closings. Apparel retailer Christopher & Banks announced it would close all of its stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Godiva is closing all of its U.S. locations by the end of March as in-store visits for its luxury chocolate dip during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sears closing stores list 2021
USA TODAY compiled the closing lists using local media reports, state layoff notices, job postings for positions at closing stores, Facebook announcements and by calling locations. The following stores are slated to close by mid-April if not earlier.
California Sears closing stores
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Clovis: Sierra Vista Mall, 1140 Shaw Ave.
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Los Angeles: Boyle, 2650 E Olympic Blvd.
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Orange: Mall of Orange, 2100 N Tustin St.
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Sacramento: Arden Fair Mall, 1601 Arden Way
Florida Sears closure
Hawaii closing Sears stores
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Aiea: Pearlridge Shopping Center, 98-180 Kamehameha Highway
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Hilo: Prince Kuhio Plaza, 111 E Puainako St.
Maryland Sears closure
Massachusetts Sears closing
New York Sears closing store
Puerto Rico Sears store closing
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Caguas: Las Catalinas Mall (February)
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Carolina: Plaza Carolina Station (February)
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Hatillo: Calle Truncado
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Mayaguez: Mayaguez Mall, 975 Hostos Ave Ste 110
Texas Sears closing store
Virginia closing Sears
Kmart store closings 2021
Most stores listed below are expected to close by mid-April unless otherwise noted. Dates can vary.
California Kmart store closings
Maryland closing Kmart store
Massachusetts closing Kmart store
New Jersey Kmart closing store
Pennsylvania Kmart closing stores
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Kingston/Edwardsville: 18 Mark Plaza
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Willow Street: 2600 North Willow St.
Puerto Rico Kmart store closures
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Bayamón: Rexville, PR-199 (February)
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Mayaguez: Pr Route 2 Km 149.5 (February)
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Rio Piedras: 9410 Avenue Los Rome
More store closings?
Know of a store not on this list that also is closing? Fill out the Google Form below or linked here to share details.
Contributing: Nathan Bomey and Coral Murphy Marcos, USA TODAY
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko
