NEW YORK — Sears continued to struggle in its second quarter with declining sales amid heightened competition from the likes of Wal-Mart to Amazon. It now says it will close even more stores.
The Hoffman Estates, Illinois retailer, which operates Sears and Kmart stores, has been trying to cut costs by closing stores, including 180 this year and already had plans to cut another 150 stores. It now plans to shutter an additional 28 Kmart stores.
None of the 28 Kmarts are in Arkansas, though the company previously announced the Little Rock location would shut down. Kmarts in Russellville and Cabot remain open.
"The retail environment remained challenging," Sears Holdings Corp. said in a statement.
The company reported Thursday that its second-quarter loss narrowed to $251 million, or $2.34 per share. Losses, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.16 per share.
Revenue fell 23 percent to $4.37 billion in the period. Sales at stores open at least a year, a key measure of a retailer's health, dropped 11.5 percent. At Kmart, the measure dropped 9.4 percent, while at Sears stores, that figure was down 13.2 percent.
Chairman and CEO Edward Lampert, whose hedge fund has forwarded millions in funding to keep Sears afloat, has long pledged to turn the company's fortunes around and that the retailer would find ways capitalize on its best-known brands like Kenmore appliances and DieHard car batteries, as well as its vast holdings of land.
Last month, it began selling its appliances on Amazon.com, including Kenmore smart appliances that can be synced with Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa. The announcement that day sent shares of Sears soaring.
But Sears is battling challenges on all fronts. Like many department stores, Sears is feeling pain as shoppers change their preferences and behavior. They're spending more online and spending less on clothing and more on experiences like spas. But analysts say Sears has much to blame for its woes. While Sears has ramped up online services, it's having a hard time disguising its age. Stores are in need of a major redo. And old rivals have made it tougher as they aim to compete with online leader Amzon.com, which is pushing ahead with innovative services as part of its juggernaut Amazon Prime membership.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.