Cartersville’s only Kmart closing

The only Kmart in Cartersville is closing at the end of January, a spokesman for the retailer’s parent company said Wednesday.

“We made a business decision not to renew the lease,” Sears Holding spokesman Chris Braithwaite said of the store at 453 E. Main Street. He would not say why the lease was not renewed or whether the store would be replaced.

The Bartow County store’s 74 employees, mostly part-timers, will be offered severance packages if eligible, and can apply to other Kmart and Sears stores. The two retailers merged in 2005.