Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close its Sears store and Sears Auto Center at Southridge Mall in Greendale.
The company confirmed the closures this afternoon. The Sears Auto Center will close in late July and the Sears store will close in mid-September, a spokesman said. A liquidation sale will begin June 30.
Many of the employees were informed of the closure today. A spokesperson declined to reveal the employee count at Southridge. Associates who are eligible will receive severance or an opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores, he said.
“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We understand that members may be disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors. As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location.”
Sears has announced hundreds of store closures nationwide this year. According to Business Insider, Southridge was one of 20 new closures announced today.
The struggling retailer closed its store at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale in 2014. Today, Bayshore confirmed it will fill part of that space with a Nordstrom Rack store.
Sears also closed its stores at Regency Mall in Racine in 2013 and Memorial Mall in Sheboygan in 2014.
The Southridge Mall has experienced several store closures in recent months, but has also been working to bring in new experiences as consumers do less brick-and-mortar shopping. Its new Marcus Theatres eight-screen movie complex and restaurant will open next week.
