December 2019 Florida Store Closures (from public records and media outlets):
- Jacksonville Sears: 10302 Southside Blvd
- Leesburg Sears: 10401 Us Highway 441
- Miami Kmart: 3825 7th Street NW
- Oviedo Sears: 1360 Oviedo Marketplace Blvd
- Vero Beach Kmart: 1501 US 1
Over 100 additional Kmart and Sears Stores are closing throughout the country. Two Kmart and three Sears stores throughout Florida are scheduled to close by the end of 2019.
In South Florida, 3 locations will be closing its doors by February 2020. Going out of business sales are expected to start in December of this year. The Kmart store in Hollywood at 3800 Oakwood Boulevard is closing. A Sears in Hialeah at 1625 W 49th Street will follow. Also, in Miami, a Sears located at 20701 SW 112th Avenue is scheduled to close by next year.
Stores in South, FL That Will Be Closed by February 2020:
- Kmart located at 3800 Oakwood Boulevard (Hollywood, FL)
- Sears located at 1625 W 49th Street (Hialeah, FL)
- Sears located at 20701 SW 112th Avenue (Miami, FL)
Two Kmarts in Lantana and Bradenton and a Sears in Fort Myers will be shutting down soon as well. (Specific locations have not been specified by the company.)
Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year in October 2018. At the time, Sears announced it would be closing 142 unprofitable locations. Kmart PR Director Larry Costello confirmed in a statement back in September that retail stores are preparing for store-wide store closing sales.
The two retailers are also struggling to increase online sales in recent years. With former big retailer Toys R Us closing last year for the same reason, Kmart and Sears closing down its retail locations is one of the many newsworthy store closings of 2019 (and of the last few years). The closings come after Sears Holdings was saved from liquidation.
Sears Holdings also owns Kmart.
Several Kmart and Sears stores throughout Florida have already closed or have begun closing their doors due to poor sales figures and lack of customers. With the emergence of the Internet, many people have opted to shop online, as it is more convenient to shop from the comfort of one’s own home. Many people are also able to find better deals on merchandise online than in stores.
Sears, after former CEO Eddie Lampert had to buy it out, became known as Transform Holdco, or Transformco. It assumed its new identity in February after Lampert struck a last-minute deal to keep its assets from going bankrupt. About 400 stores were left open after the buyout.
Lampert was Sears’ largest shareholder and creditor at the time of the bankruptcy. He stepped down as CEO at that time as well.
After the announcement for the store closures in October was made in early August a Transformco spokesperson said the possibility of more closures was forthcoming. In the announcement, it was revealed close to 26 Sears and Kmart store closures would occur between late October and mid-November.
”Following these actions, we will continue to assess our network of Sears and Kmart shops and can not dismiss extra shop closures in the near term,” Transformco said in an August 6th statement. “Our objective stays to return the company to profitability and preserve as many jobs as possible in the communities we serve.”
Approximately less than 300 stores will remain open throughout the country after the closures. Only 182 Sears and Kmart stores will be left. The numbers are down from roughly 425 locations in the beginning of 2019. The figures are also down 2,500 stores from when Sears and Kmart first merged in 2005.
Photo Credit: Dreamtimes.com
Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
