After 48 years at 1209 Boardman Poland Rd, the Boardman Kmart store will be closing its doors in mid-April.
The Kmart will begin liquidating its inventory via a sale beginning January 24. The information was released by Sears Corporate Communications Director Howard Riefs, who said that the closure was part of the company’s cost cutting and investment refocusing plan.
Customers holding layaway contracts may either transfer their layaway online or to another local store or pay it off early.
The store’s 81 employees, most of which are part-time hourly workers, will have the option of applying for open positions at Kmart and Sears stores in the area. Severance pay will be provided to those associates who are eligible.
According to Boardman Township Administrator Jason Loree, Kmart vacating the site could turn out to have a silver lining. With Kmart leaving, and the Chick-fil-A on the corner moving across the street, the large parcel of land will be available for redevelopment.
The end of 2016 or early 2017 will likely see banner printing services being called on to give the public a hint of what lies in store for the corner. According to Loree, the site has already drawn interest from developers who have been biding their time until Boardman Kmart announced its intentions.
