Sears closing 150 stores, 2 local Kmart and Sears locations included

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, January 5, 2017
FILE: Shopping carts are shown outside of Kmart store in Redwood City, Calif.
AP-AP

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's yet another sign of how tough it is for former retail giants to compete in a world now dominated by online shopping.

Sears said Thursday it would close 108 Kmart stores and 42 of its namesake Sears outlets.

Two stores in the Tri-State region are impacted:

- Kmart, 645 Highway 18, East Brunswick, NJ

- Sears, 9605 Queens Blvd, Rego Park, NY

Though, more are being closed around New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Here's a list:

CONNECTICUT

Kmart, 45 Shunpike Road, Cromwell, CT

Sears, 90 Elm St; Enfield Sq, Enfield, CT

NEW JERSEY

Kmart, 1468 Clementon Road, Clementon, NJ

Kmart, 645 Highway 18, East Brunswick, NJ

Kmart, 800 Black Horse Pike, Pleasantville, NJ

Kmart, Rte 9 & Rte 47, Rio Grande, NJ

NEW YORK

Sears, 1261 Niagara Falls Blvd, Amherst, NY

Sears, 2000 Walden Ave, Cheektowaga, NY

Sears, 1 N Galleria Dr, Middletown, NY

Sears, 9605 Queens Blvd, Rego Park, NY

The announcement came the same day Sears disclosed plans to sell its iconic Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker.

The company did not say how many workers would be affected by the store closures, but a spokesperson said most of them are part-time workers and "we are committed to treating these associates with respect and compassion during this process."

Sears closed 78 stores in 2016 and more than 200 in 2015.

The news also follows disappointing holiday results from other retail stores: Macy's - which is also closing stores and laying off workers - and Kohl's.

ONLINE: Full list of Sears/Kmart closures