Willow Grove Kmart To Shut Down

WILLOW GROVE, PA — Kmart is closing hundreds of stores across the nation, including the Kmart on Moreland Road in Willow Grove.

Sears Holdings, which owns the department store chain, announced Thursday that Kmarts at 2620 Moreland Rd. in Willow Grove and 4701 Tilghman St. in Allentown will soon close their doors.

These stores will close in mid-November, the company says.

Efforts to obtain comment from Sears and Kmart were not immediately successful.

Earlier this year, Sears also announced it would close 150 Kmart and Sears stores by the spring, part of a "difficult but necessary step as we take actions to strengthen the company’s operations and fund its transformation," the company said in a statement.

Here is the Pennsylvania list that was announced in May:

• 1 Millbrook Plaza Lane, Mill Hall, Pennsylvania
• 300 Lincoln Ave, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• 176 W Street Road, Feasterville, Pennsylvania
• 1011 Scranton Carbondale Hwy., Scranton, Pennsylvania
• 1837 Street Road, Bensalem, Pennsylvania
• 16881 Conneaut Lake Road, Meadville, Pennsylvania

Sears has said the Kmart stores have "struggled with their financial performance for years and we have kept them open to maintain local jobs and in the hopes that they would turn around."

"But in order to meet our objective of returning to profitability, we have to make tough decisions and will continue to do so, which will give our better performing stores a chance at success," according to a statement from the company.

Eligible employees impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores, according to the company.

Patch file photo