So long, Beaufort’s Kmart: Liquidation sale starts this week

Beaufort’s Kmart is joining more than 100 Kmarts across the United States that will or already have permanently closed their doors this year.

The store is set for a mid-September closing, Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications for Sears Holding, said Tuesday.

Riefs said a liquidation sale will start at the store June 29.

“We can confirm that we are making the difficult but necessary decision to close the Kmart store in Beaufort,” Riefs said. “We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity and have accelerated the closings of unprofitable stores as previously announced.”

The company announced the closing of 150 stores in January, but Beaufort was not on that list. Other South Carolina stores were including Anderson, Greenwood and North Charleston.

Riefs said he was unable to provide the number of associates working at the Beaufort store.

“Those associates that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears (stores) or Kmart stores,” Riefs said. “Most of the associates are part-time/hourly.”

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 4:51 PM with the headline "So long, Beaufort’s Kmart: Liquidation sale starts this week."