Plan to close Kmart in Camden catches locals by surprise

Sears announced Thursday the company will close 68 Kmart and 10 Sears stores this summer, including the Kmart in Camden.

In February, the company said it would accelerate the closing of unprofitable stores.

The announcement followed an evaluation of the company's store portfolio that took into account historical and recent store performance, and the timing of lease expirations. All of the Sears stores and nearly all of the Kmart stores will close in late July; two Kmart stores will close in mid-September.

The Camden location is the only one closing in South Carolina, though five will close in North Carolina.

The plan to close the store caught city and county leaders by surprise on Friday.

“It’s news to me,” said Tony Scully, Camden mayor. “I’m sorry they’re leaving. They’re a wonderful store, with great merchandise, good sales, a fine pharmacy, a wonderful staff – and we will certainly miss them.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Plan to close Kmart in Camden catches locals by surprise."