More NJ Sears, Kmarts Closing, Company Announces

Two more Kmart locations and one Sears store are among an ever-increasing list of department stores closing in New Jersey

The Sears in Vineland, one of the last free-standing Sears of its kind, will close its doors by September. Kmart stores in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, which opened about two decades ago on Route 72, and Mantua will also shut down, according to Business Insider.

Business Insider published Tuesday a list distributed internally identifying the new closings, which include 16 Sears stores, 49 Kmart stores and seven auto centers nationally.

Efforts to obtain comment from Sears and Kmart were not immediately successful.

Earlier this year, Sears announced it would close 150 Kmart and Sears stores by the spring, part of a "difficult but necessary step as we take actions to strengthen the company’s operations and fund its transformation," the company said in a statement.

Here are the four New Jersey Kmart locations that were subject to closure:

• 1468 Clementon Road, Clementon
• 645 Highway 18, East Brunswick
• 800 Black Horse Pike, Pleasantville
• Rte 9 & Rte 47, Rio Grande

Sears, which owns Kmart stores, said many of these locations have "struggled with their financial performance for years and we have kept them open to maintain local jobs and in the hopes that they would turn around."

"But in order to meet our objective of returning to profitability, we have to make tough decisions and will continue to do so, which will give our better performing stores a chance at success," according to a statement from the company.

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

Patch file photo