senior Scoops

During it’s hay day Kmart was the 15th largest company in the world. This according to Retail Wire. In the early 1990’s, the company operated 2,300 stores, employing over 350,000 people. Remember the iconic “blue light special”? The company in its growth phase bought retailers Payless Drugs, Sports Authority, Walden Books, and Border Books.

In the late ’90s, rivals Walmart and Target began to take market share from Kmart. As the retailer fell on hard times it started selling off the assets to make ends meet. But, the ends were too far apart, in 1995, the company closed 200 stores. By 2002, Kmart filed for bankruptcy. In an effort to save the brand, Kmart merged with Sears in 2005. However, it turned out Sears had problems of its own, and filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

Now the final chapters of the Kmart story are playing out. The last large format Kmart is gone. That store, in Bridgehampton NY, permanently closed on October 20th, 2024. While the company does maintain an online presence, it is hardly thought of as a go-to option in a space dominated by Amazon.

What was once a major player on the American retail landscape, Kmart as we knew it, is no more!

What do you think?

Were you a Kmart shopper?

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