BREAKING NEWS: Local Sears location will close

Sears is ending its era in the Miami Valley with announcement that it will close its Springfield store.

The struggling retailer announced today that it will close 80 more stores, adding to the hundreds its already announced this year, according to a company statement.

The Upper Valley Mall location was the only Sears store in the area with hope of survival, waiting to see if a bid later today would save more than 500 stores the company said it hoped a bidder would keep open. The Piqua store is set to close in February and both the Mall at Fairfield Commons and Dayton Mall stores have already closed.

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Liquidation sales at the Springfield Sears will begin within two weeks and the store is expected to close in late March. The Auto Center will close in late January.

Among the Sears and Kmart stores on the newest list, stores in Cleveland, Fostoria and two in Columbus also got the ax.

Other stores could still be saved if a bidder offers to buy Sears by 4 p.m. today. If not, the company will liquidate remaining assets. Chairman and former CEO Eddie Lampert previously said that he and hedge fund ESL Investments would buy the brand, but no formal bid has been submitted as the deadline looms.

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