Kmart plans to close its last Georgia stores

A big national retailer is closing its last stores in Georgia, where it once reportedly considered moving its headquarters.

Kmart, which in years past had dozens of stores in the state, is shutting the only two Georgia stores the chain lists online. One is in Peachtree City. The other is in Covington.

A company spokesman wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Kmart and Sears are both owned by Sears Holdings. The latest closings are among 142 Kmart and Sears store shutdowns listed in Sears Holdings’ bankruptcy protection filing Monday. The closings are expected by the end of the year, with liquidation sales anticipated to begin shortly.

In 2004, Kmart considered moving its headquarters from Michigan to metro Atlanta, with plans for about 1,000 jobs, according to news reports at the time. That was shortly after the chain had emerged from another stint in bankruptcy court following bruising discount competition with Walmart and Target.

The move didn’t happen. Soon a deal was announced to combine Sears and Kmart, a chain once famous for its “bluelight specials,” sudden discounts announced in the store with flashing lights.

The pairing of Kmart and Sears didn’t keep them out of financial trouble. Both have undergone waves of store cuts. The parent company, with hundreds of remaining U.S. stores, is pushing to avoid a full shutdown.

Kmart’s roots go back to 1899 when the first S.S. Kresge Company five-and-dime store opened.