Boardman Sears to Close by Mid-July
BOARDMAN, Ohio – In a statement to media, Sears Holdings confirmed that the Sears store at the Southern Park Mall will be closed by mid-July, with the liquidation of the store beginning April 27.
In an email, Sears’ director of corporate communications, Howard Riefs, confirmed the closing and said that the store will remain open for customers until the mid-July closing.
“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” he said in the statement. “This is not an effort solely aimed at cost savings but is part of a strategy we have been executing against as many of our larger stores are too big for our needs. Having fewer stores – and the right format – will help us bring Sears Holdings to a size and place to meet the realities of the changing retail world.”
Riefs confirmed that as of Feb. 3 the company operated 570 Sears stores. He had no additional information on future store closings.
In the statement, Sears Holdings assures customers that the Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile applications will “allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors,” and that it hopes to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with the Boardman Sears.
Sears Holdings did not publicly state the number of associates affected by the closing, but said eligible associates will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other area Sears or Kmart stores.
Sears still operates stores at the Eastwood Mall in Niles and East Liverpool at 15891 state Route 170. The Sears in Salem closed last year. Remaining Pennsylvania stores include 27 Pine Grove Square in Grove City and 1000 Robinson Center Drive in Pittsburgh.
In January, the company announced that the Kmarts at 2100 Niles-Cortland Road SE in Warren and 2235 E. State Street in Hermitage will close this year. Regionally, stores in East Liverpool and New Castle, Pa. remain.
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