A DEPARTMENT store chain has announced the remodeling of its Orlando, Florida Mall location on social media, but customers aren’t convinced.
Sears revealed the news in a New Year post on Facebook.
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“We are remodeling and changing up the entire layout of the store, we are hard at work getting it complete, stop in and see all of our changes and all the awesome deals to start the new year!”
The post was shared in the Facebook group Retail Dead or Alive and members were less than impressed.
“Probably downsizing or getting ready to close,” said one.
Another wrote: “It feels like Sears is trying to win a bet. Is there a logical reason they don’t pull the plug completely?”
A third Facebooker commented: “Reminds me of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!”
While another admitted: “I Honestly thought both Sears and Kmart were actually gone.”
The once booming chain, which at one time had thousands of stores across the United States, has been reduced to just a handful of locations.
It was “Where America Shops,” per the old iconic slogan.
While Sears was the largest retailer in the world after merging with Kmart in 2005, financial difficulties followed.
The company filed for bankruptcy in 2018 when the retail giant had just 700 locations remaining.
Closures continued as Sears attempted to revive its fortunes and it emerged from bankruptcy in 2022 with around 20 stores.
Its latest closure in Washington, means the retailer no longer has a presence in the state.
The Sears outlet in the Southcenter Mall shuttered permanently in mid-December.
It leave nine locations in business across the country for the iconic company.
Last Remaining Sears Locations
Sears emerged from bankruptcy with very few locations left. As of 2024, only eight remain in the United States and one in Puerto Rico. Below is a complete list compiled by The U.S. Sun:
- California
- 1001 Sunvalley Blvd, Concord, 94520
- 5110 Pacific Ave, Stockton, 95207
- 15600 Whittwood Lane, Whittier, 90603
- 111 East Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, 91502
- Florida
- 3655 SW 22nd Street, Miami, 33145
- 8001 S Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, 32809
- Massachussetts
- 250 Granite Street, Braintree, 02184
- Texas
- 8401 Gateway Blvd West, El Paso, 79925
- Puerto Rico
- Avenue FD Roosevelt 525, Hato Rey, 00918
Credit: Sears
They are situated in Florida, Texas, Massachusetts and California, with one store in Puerto Rico.
STORE CLOSURES
This past year has been a difficult one in retail with a number of stores closing down.
Walgreens is another retailer that has shuttered a number of its locations in the past year.
The latest casualty in Sacramento, California is due to permanently close its doors on January 27.
It’s one of at least 1,200 locations confirmed for closure by the company.
Meanwhile, discount chain Big Lots filed for bankruptcy in September 2024.
It has already closed many of its stores and expected to shutter the remaining 545 by the end of this month.
However a last-minute deal was reached with Gordon Brother Retail Partners at the end of December that could see 200 to 400 of the stores saved.
