Sears and Kmart Store Closings Include Four Missouri Locations

ST. LOUIS, MO — Sears Holdings announced Thursday the closing of 63 more Sears and Kmart department stores. Four of the Kmarts due to be shuttered are in Missouri and include Poplar Bluff, Independence, Sedalia and St. Louis locations. Firesales will begin as early as this month, and the stores will close their doors for good sometime in January, the company said.

“Sears Holdings continues its strategic assessment of the productivity of our Kmart and Sears store base and will continue to right size our store footprint in number and size," Sears said in a press release. "In the process, as previously announced we will continue to close some unprofitable stores as we transform our business model so that our physical store footprint and our digital capabilities match the needs and preferences of our members."

The company said the stores will remain open during the holiday season, and that eligible associates would receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for positions at remaining stores. After the latest round of closings, six Kmart locations will remain in the state. There will be three Sears department stores left, most near St. Louis, and one additional nearby location across the river in Illinois.

Last week, the struggling retailer announced the end of an era when it said it would no longer carry Whirlpool appliances. Competition from Walmart and Amazon have left Sears and its subsidiary Kmart in a tight spot financially. In March, Sears filed a financial disclosure that raised doubt whether the company will be able to stay in business long term, and industry experts have said the the cost-cutting measures may be too little, too late. The company reported a net loss of $251 million for its second quarter this year, though that was down from almost $400 million the previous year.

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