3 Virginia Kmarts, 1 Sears To Close Amid 142 Nationwide

SPRINGFIELD, VA—As struggling retailer Sears announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early Monday, a Northern Virginia Kmart and three other Virginia stores are among the stores that will close.

The retailer, which has been forced to close hundreds of stores in recent months, said it will close another 142 unprofitable locations near the end of the year, but did not specify which stores are on the chopping block. A court filing confirmed the Springfield Plaza Kmart is on the list of closing stores.

The Virginia closings are Kmarts in Springfield, Williamsburg and Waynesboro and a Sears in Hampton. The closings are in addition to 46 locations that were already set to close by the end of November.

The company is seeking a buyer for the majority of its remaining stores but said locations will remain open for the holiday shopping season. CEO Edward S. Lampert will also step down effective immediately, the company announced, but will remain chairman.

Sears, which last year sold off its famous Craftsman brand, has about 700 remaining stores and 68,000 employees —down from the 1,000 stores and 89,000 workers it had in early 2018, CNN reported.

Here are the addresses of the closing stores in Virginia:

• Kmart: 118 Waller Mill Rd, Williamsburg, VA
• Kmart: 6364 Springfield Plaza, Springfield, VA
• Sears: 100 Newmarket Fair Mall, Hampton, VA
• Kmart: 2712 W Main St, Waynesboro, VA

Includes reporting by Patch editor Shannon Antinori

ELMHURST, IL - AUGUST 24: A sign hangs above a Kmart store on August 24, 2017 in Elmhurst, Illinois. Sears Holdings Corporation, the owner of Kmart, said today it was planning on closing another 28 Kmart store including this Elmhurst location. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)