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“improperly retained”: Sears Kmart death spiral, March 2019

For some reason Sears Hometown/Appliance & Hardware has disabled its store finder page.

Footwear News: Shoe maker blames Sears bankruptcy for 18% decline in shoe sales

Chicago Tribune: Lampert cancels retiree’s life insurance!

Sears bankruptcy lets Eddie Lampert save $2 billion on taxes

What’s ‘the real home’ of Craftsman tools? Lawsuit says it’s not Sears anymore

Law360: Judge Says He Can’t Decide $15M Sears Credit Card dispute…Yet

Wall Street Journal: Bankruptcy Judge Pushes New Sears to Resolve Dispute With Old Sears

New York Post: Court documents show Eddie Lampert’s ESL hedge fund “improperly retained” $57.5M from Sears

Bloomberg: Attorney Fees in Sears Bankruptcy Reaches $22 Million

Seeking Alpha: The Sale Of Sears To Lampert Ain’t Over Yet – Major Problems Have Developed

CALIFORNIA: The Jackson Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  In San Francisco, Sears Holdings Management laid off 44 people.

Owners of the now-shuttered Sears department store in La Cumbre Plaza have listed the iconic property for sale

FLORIDA: Eddie Lampert bought the closed Sears store in Regency Square Mall for $4.1 million

The New Smyrna Beach Sears Hometown quietly shutdown at the end of February.

INDIANA: Tax paying residents of Fort Wayne upset over rezoning plans for vacant Sears building, because it would affect property taxes for homes in the area

KENTUCKY: The Murray Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.

LOUISIANA: The Homer Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  The West Monroe Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.

Eddie Lampert bought the Sears store in the Mall of Louisiana, as part of the bankruptcy settlement, but now sales documents show the price for the Baton Rouge store listed as $10 and “other valuable consideration.”

MICHIGAN: The Adrian Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  The Charlevoix Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  The Cheboygan Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  The Petoskey Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.  The Tawas City Sears Hometown store made the latest shutdown list.

NEW YORK: The Sears Hometown Store, in Fredonia,  secretly shutdown and cleared-out over the weekend (23-24 March), officially “due to electrical issue.”  However, local news media reported that the owner of the property (Lake Shore Savings Bank) was already inspecting it for possible sale, and, that over the Winter Sears Hometown corporate had advertised that it was looking for a new operator for the store.

NORTH CAROLINA: The Shallotte Sears Hometown made the latest shutdown list.  After four years the Sears Hometown in Shelby shutting down, apparently because corporate wasn’t happy with the sales. 

OREGON: The Baker City Sears Hometown made the latest shutdown list.

PENNSYLVANIA:  The Quakertown Sears Hometown made the latest shutdown list.  Without warning the Bradford Sears Appliance & Hardware store forced to shutdown, the ‘mushroom’ owner told local news media the shutdown order “was actually made by Sears Hometown and Outlet, and that’s the only thing we know.”

TEXAS: After swearing they weren’t shutting down (when Sears Holdings filed bankruptcy in October 2018) the Sears Home Appliance Showroom in Spring quietly shutdown at the end of February 2019Sears Appliance & Hardware store in Katy also shutdown.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: Kmart liquor sales are on hold due to a change in ownership.

WISCONSIN: The Park Falls Sears Hometown made the latest shutdown list.

Four years after a local Kmart shutdown city officials finally remove the location from taxpayer funded bus route

New Sears owner quietly acquires Wisconsin properties

SEARS KMART DEATH SPIRAL, JANUARY 2019: “NOBODY HAS SKIN IN THE GAME. IT’S ALL TAX MONEY.”

“their year of demise.”: Sears Kmart death spiral, June 2018

Sears Holdings has already announced new store shutdowns that weren’t on the shutdown list issued at the end of May.  However, Sears Holdings representatives claim some of the store shutdowns announced in May are now on hold pending further review.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores reported a $9.4-million USD loss for its first quarter of 2018 and as a result will shutdown 1-hundred stores (the majority will be shutdown during the second quarter).  It was also revealed that 20 Hometown & Outlet stores were shutdown during the first quarter of 2018.

Alabama: The Sears Hometown Stores in Enterprise, Jasper and Moulton just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Arizona: The Nogales Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

California: A Sears store and Auto Center in Newark (54 jobs gone by the end of September), and the almost 50 years old Thousand Oaks Sears store to shutdown in September.  Local news media reported that in 2014 officials in Thousand Oaks approved a plan to chop up the Sears store.  In Modesto, the Vintage Faire Mall Sears shutdown by an escalator fire, even though the fire was contained to the escalator for some reason the Auto Center and Avis/Budget car rental operations have also been shutdown.  In Sacramento, the owners of Arden Fair Mall filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of the still active Sears store to a ‘retail redevelopment’ company.  Local news media reporting that the still active Goleta Kmart is being taken over by Target, due to the Kmart lease being past due expired (the Kmart is not on the current official shutdown list).  The Lompoc Sears Hometown Store shutting down by the end of July, local news media say employees claim its because the landlord is demanding a huge increase in rent and is not linked to the official Sears shutdown list (even though it is on the official Hometown shutdown list).  The Sears Hometown Stores in Banning, Gilroy and Red Bluff just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Colorado: The Rifle Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Connecticut: The only two Sears Hometown Stores in the state, Barkhamsted and Colchester,  just made the new and evolving shutdown list.    The Waterbury Sears shutting down by September.

Florida: The Altamonte Mall Sears store and Auto Center, in Altamonte Springs, being shutdown by the end of August, possibly due to mall owner (and Sears Holdings spin-off) Seritage Growth Properties’ plan to turn the mall into a massive real estate trade show convention center.  The Labelle Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.   In Pensacola, the 44 years old University Town Plaza Sears shutting down by the end of July.

Georgia: The Sears Hometown Stores in Commerce and Wrens just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.   The shuttering Duluth Gwinnett Place Mall Sears suddenly sold to an apartment developer. 

Illinois: More proof Sears Holdings isn’t serious about saving its ass as the Litchfield owner of a Sears Hometown Store has been told by Sears Holdings that he can’t move into a soon-to-be-vacated  ‘full line’ Qunicy Sears store for another 18 months: “Unfortunately, when a full-line Sears store leaves a city per the contract with Sears Hometown, no one can put a store in the city again for 18 months.”-facebook post

The Sears Hometown Stores in Moline, Plano and Sterling just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Indiana: The Sears Hometown Stores in Auburn, Greensburg, North Vernon and Washington just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Kansas: The Lawrence Sears Hometown Store  just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Kentucky: The Sears Hometown Stores in Glasgow, London, Morehead and Paintsville just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Louisiana: Pecanland Mall Sears in Monroe, as well as the Shreveport Sears (local news media says Sears repeatedly denied it was shutting the Shreveport location down, until now) and Bossier City Sears, all shutting down by September.  The Sears Hometown Stores in Cut Off, Jennings and Leesville just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Maine: The Sears Hometown Stores in Beddeford and Ellsworth just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Maryland: Local news media reporting the Westfield Montgomery Sears, in Bethesda, will shutdown by March 2019, for massive property redevelopment. 

Michigan: The Oakland Mall Sears in Troy to shutdown in September.  In Marquette, a facebook post announced the July shutdown of the Sears Hometown Store.  The Sears Hometown Stores in Fort Gratiot and Waterford shutting down in July.   For more proof that the claim that brick-n-mortar retail shopping is dead, is bull-shit, local news media revealed that the now vacant Fenton Kmart is being replaced with four brick-n-mortar stores; TJ Maxx, Petco, Five Below and Michaels.  As I’ve been warning since 2012, it’s ALL PART OF Real Estate Investment Trust PLAN TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU SHOP, AND THEY BLAME YOU THE SHOPPER!

Montana: The Havre Kmart shutting down in September. The Great Falls Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Mississippi: Sears Hometown Stores in Columbus, Corinth and Ripley just made the new shutdown list, for July.

Nebraska: In Omaha, the Oak View Mall Sears shutting down between July and September.  GGP, owner of Oak View Mall said “For retailers who had been in a decline for more than a decade, 2017 was their year of demise. These retailers lost their emotional connection to the consumer, lacked investment in their physical platforms, and had not made appropriate investments in an omni-channel environment”

New Hampshire: The Sears Hometown Stores in Gorham, Rochester, Seabrook and Walpole just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

New Mexico: In anticipation of the shutdown of a Albuquerque Kmart, the city has already re-zoned the property for a massive brick-n-mortar development.

New York: The Great Northern Mall Sears store and Auto Center, in Clay, 57 jobs gone by September.  The Sears Hometown Stores in Batavia, Ithaca and Malone just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

North Carolina: Without warning the Raleigh Sears Home Services, on Six Forks Road, was sold for $5-million USD to a developer based in Virginia.  Without warning the active Northgate Mall Sears store property was sold for $6.5-million to a property developer in Colorado. The Sears Hometown Stores in Boone, Rocky Mount and Waynesville just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Ohio:   The Sears Hometown Stores in Jackson and Washington Court House just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July. The Tri-County Mall Sears, in Cincinnati, shutting down by September.  Local news media says the shutdown was revealed when Store Closing signs were posted outside the building.

Oklahoma:  The last Sears store in Oklahoma City to shutdown in September.   The Grove Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Oregon: For more proof the store shutdowns are a False Flag, the franchise owner of the Sears Hometown Stores in Corvallis, Madras and Prineville (shutting down by the end of July) Heidi Wood publicly stated her stores were profitable, stressing “I just want people to know, we didn’t leave by choice. This was a corporate decision.”  Local news media also discovered that Sears Holdings-Hometown & Outlet Store forced Wood to move one of her stores, and also forced a landlord to invest $100-thousand USD into the property to bring it up to ‘Sears standards’ months before the shutdown order came, the landlord is now suing Sears: “We’ve locked the tenant out of the building, and Sears doesn’t have any rights to get into it.”-John Goodman, attorney for landlord

Pennsylvania: It’s been revealed that the 2014 shutdown of the Sears store in Century III Mall is killing the mall.  Sears violated its lease contract when it shutdown the store, meaning they owe the mall owner $4.2-million USD, which Sears Holdings has refused to payThe ongoing lawsuit is now resulting in a ‘sheriff’s sale’ of the Century III Mall.  The Ebensburg Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Rhode Island: The Wakefield Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

South Carolina:  The happy taxpayers of Camden are about to become the proud owners of the vacant Kmart, as city leaders consider an annexation ordinance.   The Aiken Sears Hometown Store shutting down by July, an employee told local news media “It was a corporate decision, and we’re not supposed to talk to the media….”   Sears Hometown Stores in Lancaster, Loris, Port Royal and Seneca all shutting down by the end of July.

South Dakota: The Mitchell and Aberdeen Sears Hometown Stores shutting down by the end of July.

Tennessee: The Franklin, Milan and Oak Ridge Sears Hometown Stores shutting down by the end of July. In Oak Ridge, the Sears Hometown Store suddenly shutdown, a sign reads Closed Until Further Notice, customers are being directed to call a competing Sears Hometown Store in Harriman.  The year-and-a-half old Franklin-Mckay’s Mill Sears Hometown Store shutting down by the end of June, the store operator said “There are many reasons for the store closing. Sears Hometown Stores and I have mutually agreed to close the store.”

Texas: The Athens, Azle, Kingsville, Mineral Wells and Palestine Sears Hometown Stores all shutting down by the end of July.  In San Antonio, the Park North Shopping Center Sears shutting down by the end of July, Sears Holdings is blaming the landlord of Park North Shopping Center for the shutdown.  The shutdown of the Rolling Oaks Mall Sears store on hold pending the outcome of lease-back negotiations.  It was revealed that the Wichita Falls Sears Hometown Store was suddenly shutdown at the end of May, and now Sears Hometown & Outlet is suing the property owner.  The surprise shutdown came just 54 days after the store had its grand ‘soft’ opening, the landlord said the store owner failed to pay rent and other fees! (twisted update on Wichita Falls shutdown)

Utah: The Tooele Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Vermont: The Middlebury, Saint Johnsbury and Saint Albans Sears Hometown Store just made the new and evolving shutdown list,  shutting down by the end of July.

Virginia: Sears/Kmart operations in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach to shutdown in September.  The Covington, Lynchburg and Williamsburg  Sears Hometown Stores all shutting down by the end of July.  A facebook post revealed that Sears Hometown Stores in Staunton (the oldest Sears Hometown franchise in the U.S.) and Harrisonburg are shutting down by July, the independent owner blames increased competition and the shopping habits of young adults.  The Lightfoot Sears Hometown Store shutting down in July.  The manager of the independently owned Sears store said “We weren’t selling enough. Our sales have dropped over the years…”, and added that “The owner of the property doesn’t maintain it.”

Washington: The Deer Park Sears Hometown Store shutting down by the end of July.

West Virginia: The Harpers Ferry and Summersville Sears Hometown Stores shutting down by July.

Wisconsin: The West Towne Mall Sears, in Madison, shutting down in September, local news media reported that Sears Holdings recently spent a lot of money remodeling the store.   The city of Portage about to burden local taxpayers in an effort to redevelop the long vacant Kmart site, by imposing a new tax increment financing (TIF) district, however city leaders claim the TIF will not become a blank check for the property owner.  Brookfield taxpayers forking over millions of dollars as the demolition of the abandoned Sears store gets underway, to make room for a partially taxpayer funded move theater and bumper cars.  Local news media also revealed the city is creating a special tax district (known as  tax-incremental-financing, TIF) to provide $4.8-million USD towards the purchase of land for a new hotel, which includes the land the now vacant Sears Auto Center is on.

Wyoming: The Laramie Sears Hometown Store shutting down in July, officially due to the new owners ‘forfeiting’ their contract with Sears.  It might have something to due with the property being suddenly sold-off.

Business Insider: Sears’ prices are going up during a liquidation sale

GlobeNewswire:  Sears Hometown and Outlet Recognized as One of Chicago’s Best

Elliott: Be careful, that Sears.com order you made might really be from SearsHomeTown, which could affect any refunds/warranties

Motley Fool: Sears and Kmart Deepen Their Marriage 

CNBC: Sears expands Auto Center partnership with Amazon

Bloomberg: Lands’ End Exits More Sears Stores

The Mercury News: Sears took my money and kept the dishwasher, too

Tribune-Review: Bill Gates to pay-off Sears Holdings’ debt!

Forbes: Shopping At Sears Drops 50% 

Chicago Tribune: Sears gets more time to repay lenders

Picture People photo studio chain shutters in Sears stores

Sears Kmart death spiral, May 2018: “ACCELERATED THE CLOSING OF UNPROFITABLE STORES”

“monotonous”: Sears Kmart death spiral, February 2018

Sears Hometown/Appliance and Outlet stores got a $40-million USD loan from Gordon Brothers Finance Company.

ABC Action News: 5 months later family still waiting for their new Sears installed bathroom.

Chicago Tribune: Sears threatened to sue state over tax credit dispute

USA Today: Trump tax cut boosts Sears to profit, but sales slide continues

Finally, a mainstream news media source realizes that the excuse of blaming brick-n-mortar store shutdowns on internet competition might be bullshit, blame “the poverty rate”.

Canadian creditors demand to know what Eddie Lampert did with huge sums of money he got right before Sears Canada went bankrupt!

Yet again, Sears Holdings borrowed money from it’s leader, Eddie Lampert; $210-million USD this time. 

Arizona: The Show Low Kmart shutting down its pharmacy operations by the 12th of February, as part of the plan to shutdown the Show Low Kmart by April.

California: In Redding, the owner of Mount Shasta Mall (Rouse Properties) got approval from the city council to shutdown the Sears store (which is also owned by Rouse Properties) and split it up into six smaller store spaces.   

Florida: An Ocala Kmart employee was caught stealing $6-thousand USD in cash over several months.  She said she did it to feed her child.  The judge must’ve had sympathy because her bond was set lower than the amount of cash she stole, cops say she had a grand total of 70-dollars in her possession.

Idaho: It was revealed to me that Sears Holdings was still paying rent on its vacant (shutdown at the end of 2014) Pine Ridge Mall location, in Chubbuck.  However, the lease finally expired at the end of 2017 and now the mall owners are renting the huge space as a temporary storage unit for Walmart’s store remodeling ops taking place across eastern idaho.

Illinois: Despite never ending shutdowns and layoffs, Sears Holdings claims it is still eligible for $14.8-million USD in state taxpayer credits.  A fine example of corporate welfare!  As Catholic schools across the U.S. continue to be shutdown, the Catholic Church is doing something radical; they’re moving one of their existing schools inside a vacant Waukegan Kmart!  The Catholic school was slated to shutdown due to not being able to repair its crumbling building, but a local fundraiser generated $17-million USD to pay to move the school into the Kmart building.  To show you how miraculous that is, the residents of Waukegan make up 75% of Lake County’s poverty level population!

Indiana: The planned re-opening of the Kokomo Sears Auto Center is now canceled, local news media reported that no reason was given.

Nevada: In Reno, Sears Holdings spin-off Seritage Growth Properties has submitted a plan to city administrators to have the existing Meadowood Mall Sears store shutdown and split-up into three smaller store spaces.  The only reason given for the impending shutdown of the Sears store is that it is “monotonous”!

Utah: Taxpaying residents are pissed about what the West Valley City leadership want to do with the abandoned Kmart property; turn it into yet another apartment/housing development: “We have so many apartments already in the area. It feels like West Valley wants to see if they can pack more people in…  It’s hard to even get out of the neighborhood.”-Brittani Martin

Sears Kmart death spiral, January 2018: 103+ NEW STORE SHUTDOWNS ANNOUNCED!