The Kmart stores at 224 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road in Fairborn and at 1476 Upper Valley Pike in Springfield will shut their doors permanently in early December, a Kmart spokesman said this morning.
The Fairborn store has 66 employees, the Springfield store 68.
“Those associates who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores,” Howard Riefs, corporate communications director for Sears Holdings, said in an email. Sears Holdings is the parent company of both Sears and Kmart.
Both stores will remain open until early December, and will begin their liquidation sales this Sunday, Sept. 28, Riefs said.
“Store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model,” Riefs said. “These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail – at the store, online and in the home.
Riefs said no other Kmart stores in the region are targeted for closing. The retailer operates stores in Riverside, Englewood, Beavercreek, Springboro and Eaton. Kmart closed its store in downtown Xenia earlier this year, and closed its Salem Avenue Trotwood store in early 2013.
The Fairborn and Springfield Kmart closings appear to be part of a larger wave of closings that includes five Michigan stores also expected to shut their doors in December. Sears Holdings said last month that its second-quarter loss widened due to weak sales. The company lost $573 million, or $5.39 per share, for the period ending Aug. 2.
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