Sears closing 80 more stores in March as it faces possible liquidation

Sears plans to close 80 more stores across the U.S. in March, as the bankrupt retailer may be forced to liquidate its business entirely, CNBC has learned.

Robert Annenberg

January 22, 2019

Sears plans to close 80 more stores across the U.S. in March, as the bankrupt retailer may be forced to liquidate its business entirely, CNBC has learned.

The department store operator told employees Thursday that it plans to shut another round of Kmart and Sears stores next year, in addition to those that are already in the process of going dark. When Sears filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 15, it was still operating a little under 700 stores. At that time, the company said it would close 142 unprofitable stores. In November, it announced the closure of 40 additional stores.

Sears told workers this week that it expects to begin liquidation sales at the 80 stores (addresses listed below) in two weeks. The accompanying Sears Auto Centers will also be shut.

CNBC reported earlier this month that the retailer was weighing closing 50 to 80 more stores, in a fight to stay alive. Sears’ chairman, Eddie Lampert, has been trying to buy the company out of bankruptcy through his hedge fund, ESL Investments.

Altogether, Sears has announced plans to close more than 260 of its 700 or so stores — or more than a third of its locations — since filing for bankruptcy earlier this year.

A Sears spokesman didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Here are the 80 Kmart and Sears stores set to close in March (Store type, street address, city, state):

Kmart, 7055 East Broadway, Tucson, AZ

Kmart, 2180 E Mariposa Rd, Stockton, CA

Kmart, 20777 Bear Valley Rd, Apple Valley, CA

Kmart, 1000 San Fernando Rd, Burbank, CA

Kmart, 2875 Santa Maria Way, Santa Maria, CA

Kmart, 2505 Bell Rd, Auburn, CA

Kmart, 295 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT

Kmart, 200 Irwin Ne Fort, Walton Beach, FL

Kmart, 6126 Hwy 301, Ellenton, FL

Kmart, 11 Sherwood Square, Peru, IN

Kmart, 2940 Veterans Blvd, Metairie, LA

Kmart, 8980 Waltham Woods Rd, Baltimore, MD

Kmart, 201 Ninth St, S E Rochester, MN

Kmart, 155 Twin City Mall, Crystal City, MO

Kmart, 12057 Highway 49 Delmar Plaza, Gulfport, MS

Kmart, 980 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC

Kmart, 110 112 Bost Rd, Morganton, NC

Kmart, 4841 Arendell St, Morehead City, NC

Kmart, 1900 S Washington St, Grand Forks, ND

Kmart, 1515 W 3 Rd, Alliance, NE

Kmart, 213 Highway 37, E Toms River, NJ

Kmart, 1705 S Main St, Roswell, NM

Kmart, 308 Dix Avenue, Queensbury, NY

Kmart, 1020 Center Street Grand Central Plaza, Horseheads, NY

Kmart, 121 Bolivar Road, Wellsville, NY

Kmart, 1251 State Rte 29 Ste 1O Greenwich Plaza, Greenwich, NY

Kmart, 7701 Broadview Road, Cleveland, OH

Kmart, 620 Plaza Dr, Fostoria, OH

Kmart, 400 N East Circle Blvd, Corvallis, OR

Kmart, 996 West View Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA

Kmart, 2873 W 26th Street, Erie, PA

Kmart, 1143 Broad St, Sumter, SC

Kmart, 1111 E North St, Rapid City, SD

Kmart, 1805 E Stone Dr, Kingsport, TN

Kmart, 217 Forks Of River Pkwy, Sevierville, TN

Kmart, 4110 E Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA

Kmart, 1450 Summit Avenue, Oconomowoc, WI

Sears*, 2050 Southgate Rd, Colorado Spgs, CO

Sears*, 1650 Briargate Blvd, Colorado Spgs, CO

Sears*, 3201 Dillon Dr, Pueblo, CO

Sears, 1700 W Intl Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL

Sears*, 1500 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, FL

Sears*, 347 Westshore Plz, Tampa, FL

Sears*, 1441 Tamiami Trl Pt, Charlotte, FL

Sears*, 9409 Us Highway 19 N Ste 101, Port Richey, FL

Sears*, 150 Pearl Nix Pkwy, Gainesville, GA

Sears*, 4480 Sergeant Rd, Sioux City, IA

Sears*, 235 Saint Clair Sq, Fairview Hts, IL

Sears*, 7200 Harrison Ave, Cherry Valley, IL

Sears*, 7700 E Kellogg Dr, Wichita, KS

Sears, 4400 Veterans Mem Blvd, Metairie, LA

Sears*, 2306 N Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury, MD

Sears*, 5500 Harvey St, Muskegon, MI

Sears, 27600 Novi Rd, Novi, MI

Sears, 2000 N E Court, Bloomington, MN

Sears*, 1620 Guess Rd, Durham, NC

Sears*, The Streets Of Southpoint, Durham, NC

Sears*, 7424 Dodge St, Omaha, NE

Sears*, 6400 O St, Lincoln, NE

Sears*, 3450 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV

Sears*, 10 Miracle Mile Dr, Rochester, NY

Sears, 5053 Tuttle Crossing Blvd, Columbus, OH

Sears*, 1400 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, OH

Sears*, 1475 Upper Valley Pike, Springfield, OH

Sears*, 501 Medford Ctr, Medford, OR

Sears*, 200 Park City Ctr, Lancaster, PA

Sears*, 5256 Route 30, Greensburg, PA

Sears*, 5580 Goods Lane Ste 1005, Altoona, PA

Sears, 1000 Rivergate Pkwy, Goodlettsvlle, TN

Sears, 2021 N Highland Ave, Jackson, TN

Sears*, 201 S Plano Rd, Richardson, TX

Sears*, 4310 Buffalo Gap Rd, Abilene, TX

Sears*, 851 N Central Expwy, Plano, TX

Sears*, 6001 W Waco Dr, Waco, TX

Sears*, 7701 1-40 W Ste 400, Amarillo, TX

Sears*, 2100 S W S Young Dr, Killeen, TX

Sears, 3100 Highway 365, Port Arthur, TX

Sears*, 1531 Rio Rd, E Charlottesville, VA

Sears*, 1321 N Columbia Center Blvd Suite 455, Kennewick, WA

Sears, 4301 W Wisconsin Ave, Appleton, WI

*Sears Auto Center at the property set to close in late January

This was surely no surprise to me. Sears has been on a downward spiral for the last 15 years. Just because you’re king of the mountain one day (and they were for many decades) does not guarantee you’ll be around forever. I’ve seen a lot of businesses close in my day. One thing I believe in: If your business is not growing, it’s slowing. Most people who are still around today in retail are always adding locations, new product lines, promotions, etc. When it gets to the point where you’re just flatlining, you’re actually sinking. I believe the Sears automobile business was a winner, at least in my opinion. From the outside looking in, Sears automobile repair shops were gigantic, employing probably 15 to 30 mechanics at a time, in addition to selling tires, batteries, brakes, etc.

They namely catered to either elderly people or people who were not savvy about automobile repairs. Therefore, they charged top dollar for materials and labor and with that said, they always had people in their waiting rooms, and their repairs bays were always full. The problem is, most Sears auto repair shops were not stand alone. They were connected to the giant big box retail outlets in malls and major shopping centers. Therefore, the repair business would never be able to carry the rent without the retail in full swing. Someone once said, “Times, they are a changin’.” Yes they are. One day there may be no Sears left.

About The Author

Robert Annenberg: Robert Louis Annenberg Is a 40 year seasoned property owner, manager, investor, builder/developer and business man who is also an author of five published books to date (Amazon.com) and the chief editor of LifeQuestJournal.com. He can be reached at: [email protected] and (201) 289-2500.

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