Sears at Willow Grove Mall, final full-service store in Delaware Valley, closing its doors
Sears' origins date back to the 1880s.
WILLOW GROVE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The last Sears in the Delaware Valley will be permanently closing its doors.
The store located at the Willow Grove Park Mall in Montgomery County is the last remaining full-service Sears in Pennsylvania.
None remain in Delaware.
The one left in New Jersey is in Jersey City.
The parent company of Sears and Kmart, Transformco, says it plans to close the Willow Grove store in order to "redevelop and reinvigorate the property."
"Building off the regional draw of the mall and our existing tenant, Primark, there is strong redevelopment potential for this site," said Scott Carr, president of Real Estate for Transformco, in a statement Tuesday. "We intend to reinvigorate and maximize the value of the real estate to meet the needs of the Willow Grove market."
Transformco bought Sears out of bankruptcy court in 2019, when it acquired 425 of the company's stores.
Sears' origins date back to the 1880s when Richard Sears started his watch company. In 1925, Sears, Roebuck & Co. opened its first retail store and catalog center in Chicago.
Action News reached out to PREIT, the owners of the Willow Grove Mall, for information on what may replace the store.
On Wednesday morning, PREIT issued this statement:
"While we are sad to see our longstanding tenant close, PREIT has extensive experience in replacing department stores and bringing new-to-market concepts to our portfolio, as evidenced by the upcoming addition of Tilted 10 here at Willow Grove Park and the recent redevelopment of the Macy's box at Plymouth Meeting Mall with 5 tenants - Dick's Sporting Goods, Michael's, Burlington, Edge Fitness and Miller's Ale House."
Sears Hometown Stores and Sears Appliances Repair service centers remain open.
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