By HEATHER BAUGHMAN
baughman@crescent-news.com
After about 15 years in town, Defiance's Kmart Super Centers is scheduled to close this fall.
Kimberly Freely, spokesman for Kmart, said this morning that associates at the store were notified Wednesday of the store closure, which is tentatively slated Sept. 28 for the public. Kmart won't be vacating the store until Oct. 15, she added.
"The store is being closed for business reasons," Freely said, though she did not indicate anything specific. "We close stores for a variety of reasons."
Approximately 120 full-time and part-time employees at the Defiance store, located at 190 Stadium Drive, are affected by the closure.
"Severance is being offered to associates who qualify," Freely said. Positions at other Sears (which merged with Kmart in 2004) and Kmart stores will be offered to the other employees.
Freely said closure of the Kmart store will not affect the Sears department store located across the street at Northtowne Mall.
Liquidation sales will be the next step as the store prepares to close.
Kmart also said it is closing three other stores in Michigan, Nevada and Colorado.