More than 100 Sears, Kmart Stores to Close

Illinois-based Sears Holdings announced Tuesday that it will close 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores, citing sagging consumer electronic and home appliance holiday sales as a reason.

Sears said it has not determined which stores will close but said it will post the list online when it is complete. The company would not discuss how many, if any, jobs would be cut. 

Both Sears and Kmart have a presence in Hiram—a is on Hiram Douglasville Highway, while resides in the Paulding Commons shopping center on Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway. Joining Kmart as a major retailer in the shopping center next year will be Academy Sports, which will take the place of the store that was torn down after closing in February.

Sears Holdings has more than 4,000 stores in the United States and Canada.

"Given our performance and the difficult economic environment, especially for big-ticket items, we intend to implement a series of actions to reduce on-going expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model,” Chief Executive Officer Lou D'Ambrosio said in a statement. “These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail -- at the store, online and in the home."

For the fourth quarter to date, sales for Kmart and Sears are down 5.2 percent. Overall, the company experienced a 2.6 percent drop in year-to-year sales. The company is expected to release financial results for the fourth quarter and full year Feb. 23.