The new owners of Sears Holdings Corporation just announced that 96 Sears and Kmart stores will be closing by February 2020.
After taking ownership of the iconic department store brands in February 2019, Transform Holdco has decided to focus on a total of just 182 stores nationwide. These closures will bring liquidation sales to 96 Sears and Kmart stores all over the country before their doors close for good. And eight of those stores are in the DMV.
In their announcement, Transform Holdco cited "a difficult retail environment and other challenges" as the reasons for this latest decision. These store closings mean that thousands of workers will lose their jobs this holiday season, and yet another huge change on the American retail landscape.
The stores in our region that are scheduled to close include:
- Kmart at 1003 West Patrick Street in Frederick, MD
- Kmart at 1713 Massey Boulevard in Hagerstown, MD
- Kmart at 6411 Riggs Road in Hyattsville, MD
- Sears at 1262 Vocke Road in Cumberland, MD
- Sears at 11500 Midlothian Turnpike in Richmond, VA
- Sears at 8200 Sudley Road in Manassas, VA
- Sears at 100 Spotsylvania Mall in Fredericksburg, VA
- Sears at 1850 Apple Blossom Drive in Winchester, VA
**All of the photos in this article are courtesy of Sears Holdings.
You can expect to see store liquidation sales at each of the closing locations as early as December 2. Keep in mind that items purchased for deep discounts at these sales may not be eligible for returns or exchanges. For the time being, Transform Holdco urges shoppers to continue to shop at Sears and Kmart online as well as bargain-hunting at the clearance sales.
For more information, see the official Transform Holdco LLC statement on the closures.
What are your thoughts on this announcement? Is this the end of a shopping era for you and your family? Will you be hitting the liquidation sales? We'd like to hear from you in the comments!