Shockingly Few K-Marts Left in US After Latest Closures

At the time of this writing, there are only four Kmart stores open in the U.S., and within a week that number will be down to three. According to a report by USA Today, the Kmart store in Avenel, New Jersey is scheduled to close once and for all on Saturday, April 16. Once it does, there will be just three Kmarts left in the continental United States.

Kmart was once a major player in the retail industry with over 2,000 stores around the U.S. alone. It was one of the brands hit hardest by the blows to retail over the last two decades, as it was beaten down by online stores like Amazon as well as brick-and-mortar competitors. This week, the retailer will suffer another decisive defeat when one of its most populous locations shuts down. The store in Avenel is just 15 miles outside of New York City, yet even it couldn’t sustain itself in this market.

The remaining Kmart stores in the continental U.S. are in Miami, Florida; Westwood, New Jersey and Bridgehampton, New York on Long Island. There are also reportedly a handful of Kmart stores still operating outside of the U.S. or on outlying island territories.

Kmart is owned by the parent company Transformco, which did not respond to USA Today reporters asking for a comment on this latest closure. The Associated Press reached out by phone and reported that the company is not taking messages at all. Transformco also owns Sears – another brand that has been faltering fast over the last few years.

Transformco itself was always a last-ditch effort to keep these brands alive. They were previously owned by the parent company Sears Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Longtime investor and CEO Eddie Lampert reportedly purchased the two retail chains under the name Transformco and nursed them along with little financial support. That did not seem to change the rate at which stores continued to close.

Over the last 15 years, Sears and Kmart have closed over 3,500 stores. That has cost about 250,000 jobs in total around the U.S. Of course, the rise in online retail has replaced some of those jobs, though not all workers are compatible with working in warehouses, packaging or delivery. On top of that, retailers were dealt a crushing blow in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit.

The Kmart in Avenel, New Jersey will be open for a few more days followed by a massive liquidation sale. There is no word yet on what comes next for this company.