Some Sears and Kmart Stores To Close In Ohio: Report

ELYRIA, OH — Sears Holdings is set to close 72 Sears and Kmart stores across the nation, including several locations throughout Ohio. The company is struggling to meet its debt requirements for a $500 million debt that matures in July.

An internal list of stores targeted for closure was uncovered by Business Insider on Tuesday. Four Ohio Sears locations are on the list, including two in Columbus, one in Franklin, and a store in Elyria.

The list also includes Kmart locations targeted for closure. Two Ohio locations made that list, the store in Wooster and the store in Streetsboro. (To stay up-to-date on the latest local news, subscribe to the Avon-Avon Lake Patch newsletter.)

The full list of stores targeted for closure nationwide can be viewed here.

Traditional brick-and-mortar retail locations have been slumping in recent years. Sears reportedly lost $2.2 billion in sales in 2016 and had previously announced it would close 150 Sears and Kmart stores. It is unclear if the stores leaked to Business Insider are additions to that list or new closures.

The company also sold its iconic Craftsman tool line to Stanley Black & Decker for $900 million.

Sears CEO Eddie Lampert told Business Insider that media coverage has unfairly labeled the Sears as a failure, but said the “reality is better than the perception.” He told the Chicago Tribune Sears is “fighting like hell” to stay alive, despite the obstacles of its public relations difficulties.

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