Massive layoffs at South Florida Sears and KMarts will kick in next month
More than 165 Sears and Kmart workers are set to lose their jobs next month as the retail giant continues restructuring.
The layoff notices for 168 positions were posted in November to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification site by Sears’ holding company, Transform LLC. The Chicago-based retail giant cited “change in business circumstances” as the reason for the job losses.
Set to close are the Sears at 20701 SW 112th Ave in the Southland Mall, affecting 80 workers; and the Kmart at 3800 Oakwood Blvd. in Hollywood in the Oakwood Plaza, affecting 88 workers. The layoffs will occur Feb. 16-29.
Last month, Kmart laid off 99 workers at an outlet near Miami International Airport.
Despite national headwinds in the sector, most retailers in Florida stayed afloat in 2019: The 267 workers being laid off by Sears represent nearly half of all major retail layoffs announced in the state in the past year and two-thirds of those announced for South Florida.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 5:10 PM.
