The Sears store location in Cape Girardeau will soon close along with a list of others across the country.
That’s according to Cape Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, John Mehner, who says this particular round of closings for the Sears Corporation is aimed at their big box - or “large format” - stores.
For years, the location on Siemers Drive has experienced a notably small crowd of customers.
“Certainly people comment about the lack of vehicles on the parking lot and that type of thing, but the store has remained open the entire time,” he says, and they have continued to sell appliances.
In an attempt to get back on their feet, Mehner says the company plans to put their focus on smaller stores.
“Sears Corporately has been in trouble for a long time - filed for bankruptcy a long time ago - and has gone through several court-ordered restructures,” he says. “And they’ve been given what appears to be one more chance to reemerge.”
The Chamber claims that the building should be of substantial interest to other businesses looking for a facility to house their operations. Whether it will house another retail store remains to be seen.
Mehner says this is not a shock to too many people, and it speaks to the current retail landscape as a “commentary on what is happening and what has happened in the retail world.”
He says Sears was the first to start a model using their catalogs.
“Many years ago, Sears was the icon and started with the Sears Catalog - the first person that had that type of an ordering system,” says Mehner. “You just see this one come all the way around. It’s an interesting retail story.”
Kmart in Cape Girardeau, part of a chain belonging to the Sears Corporation, also closed last November.
The Cape Girardeau Sears will begin liquidation sales mid-August, and according to the company, will officially close its doors in late October.