Crown Center not among 142 stores Sears is closing
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
The Sears store at Washington Crown Center will be closing later this year.
Jay Smith of Hickory has been a Sears shopper “probably for at least 20 years.”
Sears filed for bankruptcy protection early Monday and announced it was closing another 142 stores by year’s end.
The store/auto center at Washington Crown Center, however, is not among them.
Lisa Eger, the Sears manager at Crown Center, confirmed Monday morning that those operations are not shutting down.
“We’re here for you to spend money,” she said, laughing.
Eger said she could not comment further, referring additional inquiries to corporate headquarters.
Sears Holdings, which operates both Sears and Kmart stores, will close 142 unprofitable stores near the end of 2018, with liquidation sales expected to begin shortly. That is in addition to the closure of 46 unprofitable stores that had already been announced.
Edward S. Lampert, the company’s largest shareholder, has stepped down as chief executive officer but will remain chairman of the board. A new Office of the CEO will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations.
Of the 142 stores slated for closure, 77 have the Sears brand and 65 are Kmarts. Only two Sears stores remain in Western Pennsylvania, and both are surviving for now. The other is at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township.
Civil Knox is gratified that Sears remains anchored at Crown Center. The retailer opened when the center opened in 1969, as Franklin Mall, and is the only original anchor store still standing.
“I’m thrilled,” said the mall general manager/marketing director. She was unaware of the store’s status until late Monday morning, when a reporter advised her. Knox said she was told that Sears did some redistricting of stores and that the Crown Center location “is one of the top performers.”
Spouses Ed and Elaine Budner of Washington likewise were unaware their local Sears survived. “All of these stores elsewhere have been closing,” Elaine said. “South Hills (Village). Wow. Robinson. Wow.”
Ed said they like to shop there for tools, appliances, clothing and Disney Village houses. “We get all of our appliances here,” Elaine said. “I got my jeans here.”
Jay Smith of Hickory, a Sears customer “for probably at least 20 years,” usually rolls into the store for tires and like “the lawn and garden stuff.”
“I usually get in and out fast and they have decent deals,” Smith said.
Crown Center has been hit hard by corporate closures in recent years, including Macy’s, Bon Ton and Gander Mountain. One locally elected official said his municipality has a keen interest in the mall’s health.
“Our supervisors are working closely to maintain the viability of all assets at Crown Center,” said Bob Sabot, a North Franklin Township supervisor.
At its peak, the operator of Sears and Kmart had 4,000 stores in 2012. It will now be left with a little more than 500.
“This is a company that in the 1950s stood like a colossus over the American retail landscape,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy. “Hopefully, a smaller new Sears will be healthier.”
Others don’t share Johnson’s optimism.
“That a storied retailer, once at the pinnacle of the industry, should collapse in such a shabby state of disarray is both terrible and scandalous in equal measure,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, in a note published Monday. “In our view, too much rot has set in at Sears to make it viable business.”
Even President Donald Trump weighed in on Sears’ collapse, calling it “a shame.”
“Sears, Roebuck, when I was growing up, was the big deal. And it’s very sad what happened, very, very sad,” he said to reporters on Monday outside of the White House. But Trump added that many of the Sears’ sites will be put to “good use” and mean a lot of jobs.
The company has struggled with outdated stores and complaints about customer service even for its once crown jewels: major appliances like washers and dryers. That’s in contrast with chains like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s, which have been enjoying stronger sales as they benefit from a robust economy and efforts to make the shopping experience more inviting by investing heavily in remodeling and de-cluttering their stores.
Associated Press contributed to this report.