Sears Holdings Corp. is closing the last Kmart in Little Rock in early September, spokesman Howard Riefs confirmed.
He called the decision difficult but necessary, and said the store at 10901 N. Rodney Parham Road would begin its liquidation sale on June 15.
"We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced," Riefs wrote in an email to Arkansas Business.
"We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors," he added. "As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location."
Riefs also said how many associates the store employs is "not publicly available" but most are part-time or hourly workers. He said those who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores.
Business Insider reported that Sears Holdings is closing 72 stores, including the one in Little Rock, but no other Arkansas Sears or Kmart stores were on that list.
Once the Little Rock Kmart closes, there will be two Kmarts in Arkansas, in Russellville and Cabot.
This closing also follows that of the Sears on University Avenue near Park Plaza Mall. That store closed in July, part of a round of 150 store closings nationwide by its parent company that also owns Kmart.
At one time, there were two Kmarts in Little Rock, but the other store at 6221 Asher Ave. closed in 2003 after the company filed for bankruptcy. The site is now owned by Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas.
Arkansas Business will update this story.