Vernon Kmart Survives Closure Wave

Twenty-eight more Sears-owned Kmart stores will soon close in addition to the 180 company stores already announced this year. In Connecticut, Southbury's Kmart will close while the Milford and Vernon stores will remain open for now.

The closings were announced by Sears Holding Corp., which owns the stores and reported another quarterly operating loss. CNN reports that Kmart, which had more than 880 stores a year ago is now down to a little over 600.

In a statement, the company said the closings were necessary to allow it to "continue to transform [the] business model so that [its] physical store footprint and [its] digital capabilities match the needs and preferences of [its] members."

Thanks in part to shoppers migrating to the web from the malls, Sears sales at stores open for at least a year fell 11.5 percent in the second quarter ended July 29, the company announced.

In fact, the past year has been brutal for bricks-and-mortar retailers around the country and in Connecticut. Rue21 closed hundreds of stores this year, as did Gymboree and Janie and Jack, and J.C. Penney also announced it was closing stores.

Total revenue fell 22 percent to $4.37 billion, mainly due to store closures, which shaved off $770 million of revenue, Sears said.

"Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores."

Dozens of Sears and Kmart stores have already closed this year as the company tries to overcome steep losses in sales and huge operating costs.

— By Patch Staff