5 NC Kmarts Closing As Sears Holdings Shutters 100 US Stores

CHARLOTTE, NC — Officials at financially beleaguered Sears Holdings have announced plans to close more than 100 Kmart and Sears stores nationwide, including five in North Carolina.

The stores slated for shuttering by April include:

• Kmart located at 706 E Dixon Blvd., Shelby, N.C.
• Kmart located at 2515 Horner Blvd., Sanford, N.C.
• Kmart located at 395 Westgate Plaza Road, Franklin, N.C.
• Kmart located at 175 Freedom Way, Midway Park, N.C.
• Kmart located at 815 East Innes Street, Salisbury, N.C.

All told, Sears Holdings plans to shutter 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores as losses mount.

Struggling to remain viable amid a growing Internet-based retail landscape, brick-and-mortar stores are increasingly being closed. Last year, U.S. retailers announced plans to shutter nearly 7,000 stores — an exponential increase in announced closures the prior year by 224 percent. Those numbers were compiled by the think tank Fung Global Retail & Tech, which tracks store openings and closures in the U.S.

Fung Global analysts compiled a list of 6,885 announced store closures in 2017 compared to 3,443 announced store openings. In 2016, there were 2,122 announced store closures in 2016 and 2,294 announced store openings.

Patch previously compiled a list of retailers that have announced plans to close locations in 2018. Click the story below to see that list. For a list of Sears stores on the chopping block nationwide, click here. Oh, and bargain shoppers: Clearance sales are expected to start as early as Jan. 12 ahead of the closures, according to officials.

Related story: Retailers Closing Stores In 2018: List

Patch Editor Tony Cantu contributed to this article.

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