According to stories posted in numerous media outlets, Sears Holdings announced Friday that it would close 35 more Kmart locations and eight Sears stores. The Douglas Kmart is one of those that will close. Store closure sales are expected to begin very soon.
The department-store chain’s troubles have included several rounds of store closures this year, now totaling more than 300, stated the USA Today story. “We have fought hard for many years to return unprofitable stores to a competitive position and to preserve jobs and, as a result, we had to absorb corresponding losses in the process,” Sears CEO Eddie Lampert said in a blog post.
A story posted by USA Today not only highlighted Sears’ struggles but those of other large retailers. Sears is one of many retail giants struggling to find its footing, or simply survive, amid a landscape dramatically transformed by a shift to online shopping and rise of Amazon. The story mentioned J.C. Penney, Macy’s, Radio Shack, Bebe, The Limited, and Wet Seal as other stores that are all going through closures, some significant.
Amazon and other online retailers are credited at least in part for causing the financial woes of many of these large retailers.