2 Ohio stores among 71 that Sears will close
(NEXSTAR) - A once-expansive retailer is preparing to close dozens of its locations.
At least 71 Sears Hometown stores -- including two in Ohio -- will be shutting their doors for good in the coming weeks, according to a report from Axios. A list of closing locations was posted on a message board, TheLayoff.com, and many stores have taken to Facebook to inform customers of their impending closure.
Sears Holding, which also owned Kmart, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018 but avoided liquidation when Transformco acquired both retailers.
As of publication time, Transformco had not responded to Nexstar's request for comment regarding the store closures.
"Unfortunately we must announce the closing of our Sears Hometown Store," reads a post on the Facebook page for the Sears Hometown in Luling, Louisiana. "It is not a decision that we have made lightly."
That store will officially close on June 23.
Other locations posting similar messages include Grass Valley, California; Fort Stockton, Texas; Arcadia, Florida; and Oklahoma City.
The stores whose Facebook pages advertise liquidation sales ahead of closing up for good include:
- Alice, Texas
- Arcadia, Florida
- Arlington, Texas
- Batesville, Arkansas
- Cambridge, Minnesota
- Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Cleveland, Mississippi
- Cleveland, Texas
- Cody, Wyoming
- Colby, Kansas
- Cypress, Texas
- Derby Center, Vermont
- Edenton, North Carolina
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina
- Englewood, Florida
- Escanaba, Michigan
- Fallon, Nevada
- Farmington, Missouri
- Fort Stockton, Texas
- Friday Harbor, Washington
- Gallipolis, Ohio
- Georgetown, South Carolina
- Grass Valley, California
- Greenfield, Indiana
- Green Valley, Arizona
- Gunnison, Colorado
- Hamilton, Montana
- Helena, Montana
- Henderson, North Carolina
- Houghton, Michigan
- Ionia, Michigan
- Jesup, Georgia
- Keokuk, Iowa
- Kerrville, Texas
- Kilmarnock, Virginia
- Kingman, Arizona
- Knox, Indiana
- La Grande, Oregon
- Lake City, South Carolina
- Lakeport, California
- League City, Texas
- Litchfield, Minnesota
- Logan, Ohio
- Luling, Louisiana
- Marshall, Minnesota
- Mineola, Texas
- Moses Lake, Washington
- Niceville, Florida
- Newton, Kansas
- Oklahoma City
- Pampa, Texas
- Paris, Tennessee
- Paris, Texas
- Parker, Arizona
- Pasadena, Texas
- Plymouth, Indiana
- Popular Bluff, Missouri
- Potsdam, New York
- River Falls, Wisconsin
- Robinson, Illinois
- San Marcos, Texas
- Shawnee, Oklahoma
- St. Mary's, Georgia
- Sunnyside, Washington
- Taos, New Mexico
- Tomah, Wisconsin
- Truckee, California
- Victoria, Texas
- Washington, Missouri
- Waterloo, Illinois
- Waynesboro, Mississippi
The liquidation sales, which advertise discounts up to 60% off, are set to run through June 2, according to the Facebook posts. Several stores contacted by Nexstar said their final day of business would be on June 23 or near the end of June.
Sears was founded in 1892 – 130 years ago – in Chicago.
Sears Hometown Stores spun off as its own company in 2012, reported the Tri-County Times. Sears Hometown locations became more focused on appliances and tools, the newspaper wrote, while Sears stores were more focused on a traditional mix of department store offerings like clothing and home goods.