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Sears remains on target for original 130 store closures

Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings Corp., parent of Sears and Kmart stores, said Thursday that it has so far closed 95 stores of the 130 stores originally slated for closure as part of an announcement in August.

A Reuters story on Thursday quoted a Seeking Alpha report saying at least 46 Kmart stores, 30 Sears department stores and 31 Sears Auto Centers are scheduled to close before the end of January and more than 5,500 workers were being laid off.

Sears spokesman Christ Brathwaite disputed the Reuters numbers but did not provide a breakdown on which stores are closing. No closures beyond the 130 stores are being announced at this time, Sears spokesman Chris Brathwaite said.

The 130 targeted stores were announced during Sears' second-quarter earnings report. The company will announce its latest tally of stores during its third-quarter earnings announcement in roughly three weeks, said Brathwaite.

"It isn't easy when we close stores, because we want to be part of these communities," Brathwaite said. "But this isn't a new announcement. These are part of what we announced back in August."

Brathwaite said that employees at the targeted 130 stores already had been notified.

When the stores close, affected employees are eligible for severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other area Sears or Kmart stores.

"Keep in mind that when a store closes, an overwhelming majority of the positions impacted are part-time and hourly," said Brathwaite said.

Sears and Kmart stores had about 226,000 associates as of Feb. 1.

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