\
SEARS is shutting down its last store in one state as customers have spotted final sale signs.
The once-popular retailer featured empty walls of merchandise and scattered clothing racks earlier this month.
1
Deals and discounts as high as 70% off are available now to shoppers who frequent the Sears in Tukwila, Washington, just 11 miles south of downtown Seattle.
These offerings were confirmed through pictures taken by a local customer and posted in a thread on Reddit.
In the images, scattered sale signs could be seen with several areas having all products removed, as “everything must go.”
Employees confirmed to the shopper that the last day of business is December 15.
Read More on Store Closures
Several fellow Sears fans were saddened by the update, noting that only a few remained nationwide.
“Time to update the map again,” someone wrote.
“The last Sears in Washington is now closing, while the last one in Texas and the two in Florida are threatened by redevelopment.”
“The end is getting much closer now :(,” they added.
“At this rate, we can officially confirm the plug is also being pulled on many at once as well,” another added.
A few online digital maps have kept track of the remaining Sears stores for some time.
The store count as of November 2024 is just ten, with nine in the United States and a singular location in Puerto Rico.
With the closure of the last Washington location, only eight will remain in the United States across California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas.
The last New Jersey area store closed in January.
GOLDEN YEARS
About 20 years ago, Sears was the largest retailer in the world after it merged with K-Mart and became Sears Holdings to compete with giants like Walmart and a growing Amazon.
Last Remaining Sears Locations
Sears emerged from bankruptcy with very few locations left. As of 2024, only nine 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
- Washington
- 301 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, 98188 (Closing December 15)
- Texas
- 8401 Gateway Blvd West, El Paso, 79925
- Puerto Rico
- Avenue FD Roosevelt 525, Hato Rey, 00918
Credit: Sears
There were 3,500 Sears and K-Mart locations in 2005, with 2,350 being stand-alone brick-and-mortar stores.
It was “Where America Shops,” per the old iconic slogan.
The company soon began encountering financial struggles over the following years, quickly shedding its retail footprint and selling assets to stay afloat, per Investopedia.
BANKRUPTCY BATTLE
By October 15, 2018, Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with $6.9 billion in assets and $11.3 billion in debt.
Less than 700 Sears stores in malls and stand-alone locations remained at the time of the filing.
That quickly shrunk, and in November 2022, after over 10,000 court filings, Sears emerged from bankruptcy with about 20 stores in 14 states and Puerto Rico.
Since then, the store count dropped to what it is today, which some experts like Syracuse University professor of retail practice Ray Wimer saw coming.
“They do not have an appealing value proposition to customers, and the amount of competition in the retail marketplace offering similar goods means the end will come at some point,” Wimer said while speaking with Fox Business.
This year may also spell the end for several retailers who have filed for bankruptcy and shuttered hundreds of stores.
Clothing retailers like Express and Rue21 went filed in the spring, shedding a combined total of more than 600 locations.
Big Lots also submitted its Chapter 11 filing in September with plans to close over 545 locations after weeks of rumors.
How does bankruptcy work?
Bankruptcy is a specific legal process that helps companies eliminate debt they can’t repay.
The process allows businesses to start fresh and gain access to new credit.
Supervised by federal courts, bankruptcies allow a company to sell off its assets more easily to pay off creditors, according to Investopedia.
Chapter 11, a common process for companies, is used to restructure a business with the goal of remaining open – even if it means selling off most of the company’s properties.
Chapter 7, on the other hand, sells all of a company’s assets, putting it out of business.
Chapter 15, alternatively, allows for collaboration between American and foreign courts to conduct bankruptcy proceedings with “parties of interest involving more than one country,” per the United States Courts.
