Two Columbia Center retail anchor stores aren’t included on a list of store closures announced Jan. 4.
The Kennewick mall’s Sears and Macy’s stores appear to be safe for now, as big box retailers nationwide struggle to strike a balance between storefront and digital marketplace sales.
Three Washington Sears stores are scheduled for closure in early April: Shoreline, Federal Way and Chehalis. No Washington Macy’s stores are on the closure list.
Sears Holdings said it is continuing its strategic assessment of the productivity of its Kmart and Sears stores and “will continue to right size our store footprint in number and size,” according to a release. Sears said it looked at unprofitable stores.
The company told employees at 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores that their stores would be closing between early March and early April.
Eligible associates affected by the store closures will receive severance and an opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores.
Macy’s said it will close 11 stores in early 2018, with the closest in Twin Falls, Idaho.
The company announced it would close 100 stores in August 2016. The company intends to close 19 more stores as leases or operating covenants expire or sale transactions are completed as part of a multi-year effort.
Including the stores announced Jan. 4, Macy’s has closed 124 stores since 2015.
The company also said it would also adjust staff across the organization and further streamline some non-store functions.