End is near for final Kmart store in Columbus as inventory dwindles
The end of the road is near for the last Kmart store in Columbus, with the 2500 Airport Thruway location entering its final six days of liquidation Tuesday.
That means the once proud discount retailer’s doors will be closing on Sunday, with the store now a shell of its former self after having sold off what appears to be at least 90 percent of its inventory, if not more.
On Tuesday, clothing was the dominant product on the floor, with some home goods, toys and knick-knacks on the largely depleted shelves. There was a good selection of children’s bikes parked in the middle of the store.
(Sears and Kmart stores near their last day in Columbus, Phenix City)
Kmart is advertising 40 percent to 75 percent off items through Thursday, although hand-written “flash sale” signs were offering 80 percent off of clothing on Tuesday. The minimum discount will rise to 50 percent off Friday and Saturday — barring more flash sales — with the store aiming to sell to the “bare walls,” including its fixtures, equipment and furniture.
The Airport Thruway location marks the final nail in the coffin for Sears Holdings and its dwindling Kmart chain in Columbus and Phenix City. A Kmart on Macon Road in Columbus and another on U.S. Highway 280 in Phenix City shut their doors in March, as did the Sears department store at Columbus Park Crossing. All three of those buildings remain starkly vacant.
Sears Holdings, the parent company of Kmart, announced in January that it was closing 42 Sears stores and 108 carrying the Kmart brand. It followed that up in July by saying an additional eight Sears outlets and 34 Kmarts were no longer profitable and would be shuttered.
“We continue to move forward with our strategic restructuring to become a more nimble and efficient retailer. We have implemented a more integrated, leaner operational model resulting in a simpler organizational structure,” Sears Holdings, which is led by Eddie Lampert, said in a late August update on its operations.
This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "End is near for final Kmart store in Columbus as inventory dwindles."