Enfield’s Sears store will close in mid-April due to low profitability, according to the parent company.
The Sears Auto Center, also at the Enfield Square mall, will remain open and is not closing, said Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications for Sears Holdings Corp., which operates Sears and Kmart stores. The store opened 19 years ago in April of 1997.
“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and will be accelerating the closing of unprofitable stores as we have previously announced,” Riefs said in a statement.
In September, Sears Holdings Corp. included the Enfield and Manchester Sears stores and its Vernon Kmart on a list of properties being offered to developers. Enfield Square, where the Sears store is located, also lost its Macy’s store earlier this year. West Hartford Sears sites have been eyed for more retail.
When Riefs confirmed the closing Thursday, he could not provide the number of employees at the store. Workers will be eligible for severance and can apply for open positions at other Sears or Kmart stores, Riefs said.
The store remains open to the public until it closes in mid-April, and a liquidation sale will begin Jan. 6.
Riefs added that the disappointment from shoppers about store closings is frequently offset by the availability of a “Shop Your Way” online membership platform and app that allows customers to continue the retail connection.
“As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location,” he said.
