Farewell to the blue light: The last full-sized Kmart store in the continental US is closing down
Kmart shoppers, pay attention: Your opportunity to snag a blue-light special at a full-size store in the US is quickly fading, marking the decline of a once-popular retail chain.
The blue light will soon dim as Kmart prepares to shut down its final full-sized store in the continental United States.
An employee at the Bridgehampton, New York location confirmed that the store is set to close its doors on October 20 when YSL News reached out for information.
This Bridgehampton store, roughly 95 miles east of Manhattan, is one of the last two remaining Kmart locations in the continental U.S. The other remaining store in Miami is smaller and offers a limited selection of products, as reported by CNN.
Transformco, the company that owns Kmart and Sears, did not reply to YSL News’ inquiry on Monday.
Sears and Kmart near the end
At its height, Kmart boasted more than 2,000 stores across the U.S. and was considered a major player in the retail market.
Kmart merged with Sears in 2005 through a deal orchestrated by hedge fund manager and CEO Eddie Lampert.
However, the combined entity failed to keep pace with the rise of online shopping and shifting consumer habits.
The merged companies entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018 and barely avoided going under completely in early 2019.
The business was acquired by Lampert, who has managed to keep the brands afloat with limited resources.
Under Transformco’s ownership, Kmart locations have decreased significantly, leaving only the Bridgehampton and Miami stores in the continental U.S., along with some locations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
In total, Sears and Kmart have shut down over 3,500 stores and eliminated approximately 250,000 jobs in the last 15 years.
Contributions by: Kelly Tyko
