North Austin Sears Among 100 Stores To Close

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Officials at financially beleaguered Sears Holdings have announced plans to close more than 100 Kmart and Sears stores nationwide, including one in Austin slated for closure in April.

The Sears Grand automotive center located at 12625 N. Interstate 35 in North Austin is among the casualties of the retailer's eroding balance sheet, and is expected to close later this month, according to reports. The store itself is expected to close by April, company officials said Thursday.

The move wasn't unexpected. Company officials previously announced plans to downsize the North Austin store, leasing a big chunk of the space (about 45,000 square feet) to theater chain AMC Theaters. The latter firm plans to open a 10-screen movie house at the site by next year, officials previously disclosed.

All told, Sears Holdings plans to shutter 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears ones as losses mount. Other Texas stores on the closures list include a Kmart in Portland and Sears stores in Houston and Midland.

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 eponential 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

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