More Sears, Kmart Closings, Including Lithonia Store

LITHONIA, GA — Another Georgia Sears location is on the chopping block, along with 44 Kmart stores nationwide and 17 other Sears locations. In a news release, Illinois-based Sears, which owns Kmart, said employees were notified of the closings on Thursday, and the locations will close by late January 2018.

"It's important to note that these stores will remain open to serve members during the holiday season," Sears said in a press release. "Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores. Customers can use the store locator function on our web sites to find the location of their nearest Kmart and Sears stores."

Liquidation sales will begin as early as Nov. 9, according to Sears.

The latest round of store closings includes the Lithonia Sears location at 8020 Mall Pkwy.

Just last week, Sears announced it would no longer sell Whirlpool appliances, severing a business relationship that had lasted more than a century.

With competition from online retail giant Amazon.com and other retailers like Home Depot, Sears has been taken a huge hit in sales. In the U.S., consumers buy most of their small appliances from Walmart, according to market research firm TraQline. Amazon comes in second, with Sears coming in fourth behind Target.

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