Super Kmart Center (1991-2017?)

[Scoot79]

http://triptothemall.blogspot.com/20...-illinois.html

Anybody here ever been in a Super Kmart Center (aka Super Kmart, Super K, and Kmart Supercenter)? The first one opened in Medina, Ohio in 1991 and it seems like the last one may be closing within the next year or so. At its peak in early 2002, there were 130 Super Kmart Centers in the U.S., but after two big rounds of bankruptcy closures in 2002 and 2003, the number of Super Kmart Centers has been dwindling over the last 13 to 14 years.

We had a Super Kmart Center (# 4904) in Victoria, Texas from October 1993 to June 2002. It was a really nice store and I hate that it's gone. As of 4/30/2016, there are only six Super Kmart Centers operating in the U.S. (Lorain, Ohio; Mentor, Ohio; Warren, Ohio; Ashtabula, Ohio; Taylor, Michigan; and Bradley, Illinois) However, four of them will be closing this year. The Bradley, Illinois store will close in May 2016. The Ashtabula, Ohio store will close in late July 2016. The Lorain, Ohio and Taylor, Michigan stores will both close in mid September 2016. That means, by mid September 2016, there will be only two Super Kmart Centers open in the U.S. (Mentor, Ohio and Warren, Ohio). I wouldn't be surprised if both of those locations close at some point in 2017.

I don't understand why Kmart (Sears Holding) gave up on the Supercenter concept. I would have thought that their Super Kmart Centers would have been their most lucrative asset and I fail to see how they can see a future ahead with only small Kmart discount stores (which are mostly cluttered, messy, disorganized, and feature no groceries) and Sears stores. I guess the Walmart Supercenters just proved to be too much for them to compete with. Sad, as I like shopping at both.