103+ new store shutdowns announced! Sears Kmart death spiral, January 2018

Sears Holdings ends the month of January by suddenly laying off 220 corporate level employees!

KUTV 2News: Sears takes woman’s money for new appliances then shuts down without delivering! 

PRNewswire: Sears Holdings now begging investors to buy its ‘distressed debt’!

Times Colonist: Sears Canada under investigation for massive dividend payout 

KSDK: Kmart being sued for failing to pay for 19 HVAC units in Missouri 

To start off the New Year, Sears Holdings just sold-off its Pompano Beach, Florida, store for $11.75-million USD.

The 190-thousand square feet store is, apparently, still operating.  There are reports the huge Sears store and Auto Center will be chopped up into smaller retail spaces.   It was bought by the owner of the Pompano Citi Centre mall, Sterling Organization (which bought the mall in 2012).

It was also revealed that in 2017 Sears Holdings sold 235 active Sears and Kmart stores to its evil spawn Seritage Growth Properties, for the purpose of ‘redeveloping’ those properties.

Now add at least 103 store shutdown announcements for 2018! 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores will shutdown between the end of January and the end of April.

Don’t say it’s the decline of brick-n-mortar stores a the hands of the internet, as many local news media report that several soon to be vacant Sears locations have already lined up new brick-n-mortar stores, or have been sold-off to REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) groups who have big plans to change the way you shop at brick-n-mortars.  In other words, dying Sears and Kmarts (and other big name chain stores) are being replaced with even more stores.

Alaska: Anchorage Sears (67 jobs gone).

Arizona: Tolleson Kmart, 27 years old Show Low Kmart (54 jobs gone by April).

Arkansas: Cabot Kmart.

California:  Ontario Kmart (79 jobs gone), Redding Kmart (72 jobs gone), Cudahy Kmart (117 jobs gone), plus two other Kmart locations! Westminster Sears (88 jobs gone), Brea Sears (72 jobs gone), Valencia Sears (67 jobs gone), San Jose Sears (76 jobs gone), plus three other Sears locations!  Local news media in the Bakersfield area report that the shutdown of the Taft Kmart “will have a major impact on the small community”Apparently the Taft Kmart is THE main source of local tax revenue, and jobs, for Taft.

Colorado: Colorado Springs Kmart on North Nevada Street.

Delaware: The 54 years old Sears store and Auto Center in Wilmington.

Florida: Brandon Kmart (85 jobs gone), Ocala Kmart (64 jobs gone), plus one other Kmart.   Boca Raton Sears store and Auto Center (82 jobs gone).

Georgia: Three Kmarts.  Centerville Sears.

Idaho: Twin Falls Sears, Coeur d’Alene Sears.

Iowa: Red Oak Kmart. Urbandale (Des Moines) Kmart (59 jobs gone by April).  Waterloo Sears. 

Illinois: Three Kmarts. Three Sears locations.

Indiana: Indianapolis Kmart on East Thompson Road (44 jobs gone), Bloomington Kmart.  Evansville Sears Auto Center.

Kansas: Wichita Kmart on South Broadway Street, Paducah Kmart.

Louisiana: Mandeville Kmart.

Maine: Bangor Sears.

Maryland: Crofton Kmart, Salisbury Kmart.  Oops, Sears filed a shutdown WARN for its Westfield Montgomery Mall store, then suddenly retracted it saying it was a mistake. The WARN said 73 people would be laid off in March, but news reports say Sears Holdings claims to have signed a new lease. It should be noted that the British empire Australia based owners of the mall, Westfield Group, is selling its U.S. commercial properties to European based Unibail-Rodamco, which plans on redeveloping those properties. 

Massachusetts: Burlington Sears on Middlesex Turnpike.

Michigan: Richmond Kmart, Greenville Kmart.  Sears Holdings sold its partially vacant Kmart building in Jackson, however, the sale is forcing the Auto Lab auto repair shop (which was still leasing space in the building) to shutdown. 

Montana: Helena Kmart, Butte Kmart.

Nevada: Las Vegas Kmart, North Las Vegas Kmart.

New Hampshire: Rochester Kmart.

New Jersey: Toms River Sears.

New Mexico: Raton Kmart, Tucumcari Kmart.

New York: Plattsburgh Kmart (67 jobs gone by April).  Hicksville Sears store and Auto Center (200 jobs gone), Kingston Sears store (42 jobs gone).

North Carolina: Five Kmarts.

North Dakota: Devils Lake Kmart.  Bismarck Sears.

Ohio: Warren Kmart (more than 133 jobs gone by April).  Local news media confirmed that the Cambridge Kmart is shutting down in April (88 jobs gone), despite it not being on the official shutdown list.

Oklahoma: Enid Kmart.

Oregon: Portland Sears, Springfield Sears.

Pennsylvania: Franklin Kmart (79 jobs gone), Philadelphia Kmart on Aramingo Avenue (52 jobs gone), plus eight other Kmarts!  Philadelphia Sears on Bustleton Avenue (103 jobs gone), plus two other Sears locations.

South Dakota: Rapid City Sears.

Tennessee: Three Kmarts.

Texas: Portland Kmart.  Three Sears locations.

Utah: Ogden Sears.

Vermont: Rutland Kmart.

Virginia: In Richmond the Kmart on Nine Mile Road shutdown this month.

Washington: Chehalis Kmart.  Three Sears locations.

West Virginia: Three Kmarts.

Wisconsin: Green Bay Sears (43 jobs gone), Brookfield Sears (59 jobs gone).

SEARS KMART DEATH SPIRAL, DECEMBER 2017 (list of shutdowns since 2011): “THE LAST THING WE WANT TO SEE IS THE MALL FAIL AND THIS THING GO SOUTH!”