As Sears continues to struggle to survive in a market filled with instant deliveries and the internet, the company announced on Wednesday, June 5, that another of its Westchester stores will close its doors.
“As we continue to evaluate our store network and invest in our best stores, the Sears store in Yonkers at Cross Country Shopping Center did not meet our go-forward criteria," a Sears company spokesperson told Daily Voice.
The store will close in late July and the store liquidation sale will start around Thursday, June 6, the spokesperson said.
"We invite our members and customers to visit our other Sears locations in the tristate area and shop sears.com," they added.
The spokesperson declined to reveal the number of employees who will be affected by the closing.
The store opened at the mall in 1987 and served as one its main anchors since.
Mall officials said they had just learned of the closing.
“While we were surprised to hear news about our particular location closing, Sears has been in the news about closures for a while now," said James Stifel and Craig Deitelzweig, EVPs Brooks Shopping Centers, LLC, owners of Cross County Shopping Center. "Retail demand is strong here and their departure will create an opportunity to re-lease that same space to a concept that will continue to drive traffic, more shopper interest, and more sales."
After filing for bankruptcy, the company announced it would close more than 80 stores nationwide in an attempt to stay afloat. As the end of last year, the company had 687 stores remaining, including its Kmart locations.
Some business insiders say that the company could survive by selling off the valuable land that some unprofitable stores sit on. Hedge fund managers say real estate sales could generate more than $200 million a year through 2021 and help the company survive if they revamp the business model for the stores.
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