5 NJ Stores To Shut Before Christmas As New Closure Announced

NEW JERSEY – Another major store is going to close soon in New Jersey – just as five other retailers in the state are planning to shut their doors before Christmas.

Kmart is closing a store in West Orange – just two months after the company announced that it was closing sites in Wayne, Trenton, Wall and Somers Point by Christmas. Read more: Kmart Store In West Orange To Close

The Lord & Taylor's at Woodbridge Center Mall is also expected to close by Dec. 24 and 84 layoffs are scheduled for that date. Read more: Woodbridge Center Lord & Taylor Will Be Closing: Report

The closings will likely add to the growing list of 2,000 people who are scheduled to be laid off in New Jersey over the next two months. Read more: Nearly 2K Layoffs In NJ As Store Bankruptcies, Closings Hit State

Other retailers that have announced store closings – but haven't disclosed where or when they'll occur – include: Barneys, Bed Bath & Beyond, Destination Maternity, Forever 21, Pier 21 and Walgreens.

Destination Maternity plans to close stores, according to USA Today, at the following New Jersey locations:

• Bridgewater - Destination Maternity
• Deptford - Motherhood Maternity
• Elizabeth - Motherhood Maternity Outlet
• Shrewsbury - A Pea in the Pod

Forever 21 also identified the locations in New Jersey that are set to close:

• Deptford
• Mays Landing
• East Hanover
• Cherry Hill
• Short Hills
• East Brunswick

In Wayne, Trenton, Wall and Somers Point, liquidation sales at the closing Kmart stores began in mid-September and the stores are planning to close by mid-December.

The only remaining Kmart stores in New Jersey will be Belleville, Kearny, Toms River, West Long Branch, Westwood and Woodbridge.

A number of Sears and Kmart stores also have closed in recent years as the company has struggled to survive.

The West Orange store, which is expected to close by February, is among an additional 96 Sears and Kmart sites that will close nationwide, according to a press release from Transformco, which purchased Kmart's parent company Sears Holdings Corporation.

Going-out-of-business sales at these stores are expected to begin on December 2.

"Transformco has faced a difficult retail environment and other challenges. We have been working hard to position Transformco for success by focusing on our competitive strengths and pruning operations that have struggled due to increased competition and other factors," according to the company.

Following these closures, Transformco will operate 182 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide.

"We will continue to evaluate our Sears and Kmart footprint, consistent with our overall retail and service strategy," the company said.