Supply chain issues force closure of Sears Hometown Store

The Sears Hometown Store in Luling will close permanently at the end of this month after serving the community for the past decade.

“It is not a decision that we have made lightly,” owner Kathy Witmer said. “Supply chain issues were the last straw. The pandemic started it and then with the supply issues, economy, inflation … people are just holding tight to their money and we are not getting the money we need to stay open.

The store’s last day of business will be June 27. Liquidation sales are currently being held at the store, which is located at 12715 Highway 90, Ste 160B in Luling.

“We appreciate the community supporting our small business for all of these years,” Witmer said.

Several other Sears Hometown locations across the country have recently announced that they are closing. Sears Hometown stores sell a range of home appliances, lawn and garden equipment, apparel, mattresses, sporting goods, and tools, among other products.

Sears and Kmart have closed hundreds of stores since it filed bankruptcy in 2018, emerging from Chapter 11 the following year. The newly formed company Transformco acquired Sears Hometown stores in February 2019, which at the time had more than 400 “independently-owned and operated, dealer-managed smaller format stores.”