The presence of Sears, a former fixture in shopping malls nationwide, is rapidly dwindling.

The announcement was made that a store in Jersey City, New Jersey, which is one of the few stores left, will be closing down.

The Sears store was established in 1987 within the Newport Centre shopping mall and it is currently the sole remaining Sears branch in the state.

The store has not announced a specific closing date, however, they have notified customers about the ongoing “Everything Must Go” sales. Discounts of up to 40% off are being offered on tools, while apparel for men, women, and children is being marked down by as much as 50%.

The decline of Sears as a prominent department store has been extensively recorded.

In the 1880s, Sears was established as a mail-order business selling watches, but it eventually evolved into a popular national brand driven by its extensive catalog. This was later followed by the establishment of physical retail stores.

As reported by Smithsonian Magazine, Sears had a network of over 300 department stores by 1929. For the next 60 years, Sears held a dominant position in the retail industry. However, the magazine notes that Sears relinquished its title as the top retailer in the nation to Walmart in 1991.

Sears’ downfall can be attributed to increased competition and its inability to adapt to evolving shopping patterns. This ultimately led to the company’s bankruptcy filing in 2018 and subsequent closure of the majority of its stores.

There are no remaining open Sears store in Arizona. The retailer does have website where their brands can be purchased. As of now, there are only approximately 12 remaining Sears stores operating in the United States.