Bartlesville's Sears Store To Close In Mid-December

The Sears store along with its Auto Center in Bartlesville will close in mid-December, the company announced on Tuesday.  

The store located in the Washington Park Mall will begin its liquidation sale on Friday, according to a Sears Holding spokesman.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and will be accelerating the closing of unprofitable stores as we have previously announced,” Howard Riefs said.

Riefs says Sears hopes to retain some of its Bartlesville customers through its "Shop Your Way" membership platform, websites and mobile apps.

"We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors. As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location," said Howard Riefs. 

Riefs added the number of employees impacted by the closing was not available.  But he says those associates who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other area Sears or Kmart stores.