Company will close several Kmart stores

NEW YORK – Sears Holdings Corp. is confirming it’s closing a handful of Kmart stores across the country by mid-April as it continues to trim its ailing fleet.

Howard Riefs, a spokesman for the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based parent, which also operates Sears stores, declined to give a number or offer how many people would be affected, but he said that the number of store closures is consistent with a year ago.

In a statement Wednesday, Riefs described the closures as a “very small percentage” of its overall store base. He noted that liquidation sales will begin later this week.

The company operated 952 Kmart stores and 735 Sears stores as of Oct. 31.

The move comes a month after Sears reported that its third-quarter loss narrowed as it reduced expenses, but sales continue to decline at the two ailing chains. For the third quarter ended Oct.31, the retailer lost $454 million, or $4.26 per share. That compares with a loss of $548million, or $5.15 per share, a year earlier.