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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— An iconic U.S. retail chain once synonymous with the world’s tallest building is currently on the brink of extinction.
Sears, known for its generational presence in American malls and mailed catalogs, previously filed for bankruptcy in 2018. At the time, there were about 700 locations. As of December, there were five stores left, MassLive.com reported.
The remaining locations are in Braintree, Massachusetts; Concord, California; El Paso, Texas; Orlando, Florida and Coral Gables, Florida.
The former Sears location at the Staten Island Mall was one of the anchor stores when the mall opened in in 1973. The retailer closed in 2019.
“With other both brick and mortar and online retailers with better product selection, location advantages and better convenience, Sears just can’t compete anymore,” Dan Hamilton Rice, director of E. J. Ourso College of Business Behavioral Research Lab, told USA Today.
With the exception of the Coral Gables location, all of the remaining stores are at malls owned by the Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall operator, CNN reported.