Local Sears safe after bankruptcy and store closures

News-Times
News-Times

Sears Hometown Store, located at 2020 N. West Ave., will not be affected by Sears Holdings Corporation’s recent bankruptcy filing and announcement of store closures, says owner Barbara Bryant.

Sears Holding Corporation filed for bankruptcy last month, announcing the closure of 142 stores at the same time. Thursday, the company reported that they would be closing an additional 40 stores.

However, the local Sears Hometown Store, which is a franchise location of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc, will not be affected by the bankruptcy or closures, Bryant said.

“Sears Hometown was this little off-shoot that had these smaller stores around in smaller areas,” Bryant said. “So back in 2012, Sears Hometown separated from Sears Holdings.”

Originally a subsidiary of Sears Holdings, Sears Hometown Stores was separated from the parent company in 2012. The two businesses are different companies now.

The major difference between the two companies, Bryant said, is that Sears Hometown Stores sell only “hard line” items, which include appliances, garden equipment and hardware.

“The only connection there is with Sears Holdings, the one that went bankrupt, is we buy our Kenmore products from them,” Bryant said. “We’re doing business with Sears the way anybody else would do business with them: we have to buy from them.”

When Sears Hometown and Sears Holdings separated, Sears Hometown made the decision to keep using the Sears name due to its worldwide recognition. However, with Sears Holdings’ bankruptcy filing, there has been confusion for customers.

Bryant said after the initial bankruptcy announcement from Sears Holdings, her business suffered for several days due to the confusion.

“The only thing that’s been affected has been, the first couple of days after, we had trouble … because nobody knew what was going to happen,” Bryant said. “We’re back online now to where everything’s just business as usual.”

Bryant emphasized that customers’ warranties will be honored, appliances will continue to be serviced and the store will continue to offer the same products and services that they have been. She said some products that are purchased directly from Sears Holdings may take additional time to arrive through shipping, but otherwise her business will be unaffected.

She encouraged customers to continue shopping at local brick and mortar retail stores.

“I just want people to know that they don’t have to worry about that [bankruptcy],” Bryant said. “Their warranties are going to be honored. There’s not going to be a problem with that product.”

Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].

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