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Parkersburg’s Southside Kmart to close in April; some other Kmart, Sears stores in WV also slated to shut doors

By MICHAEL ERB

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

PARKERSBURG, W.Va.  — The Kmart in south Parkersburg will close in April, with liquidation beginning Jan. 6, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications for Sears Holdings, confirmed in a press release via email the store at 1050 Division St. in Parkersburg will close in mid-April. The move does not affect Kmarts in Vienna and Marietta, or the Sears located at the Grand Central Mall in Vienna.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” Riefs said in the press release.

Riefs said the number of employees affected by the closure is not yet publicly available, but some will have the chance to transfer to other stores or be offered severance if eligible.

Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo said the city received a call early Wednesday inquiring about notification for the closing of the store.

“It’s a sad situation when you lose any kind of business,”Colombo said. “Those big-box stores are highly competitive. If you look back over the years you can see them rise and fall. But it’s sad to lose those jobs.”

Colombo said the location should prove inviting for existing businesses looking to expand or new businesses looking to move in.

“It’s a major crossroads,” he said. “I’m hopeful the space won’t stay vacant for very long.”

The Sears Holding corporation has made several recent announcements concerning stores throughout the state. The Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport announced its Sears would close in early 2017, and officials later confirmed the Kmart in Elkins was slated for closure.

More recently Sears Holding announced the Sears in the Town Center Mall in Charleston would close in mid-April.

See more from The Parkersburg News and Sentinel

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