Sears Roebuck & Co. will close its carry-in repair office in Melville and layoff its 31 employees there, according to a
filing with the New York State Department of Labor.
The layoffs and closing of the Sears appliance repair office at 120 Spagnoli Road are scheduled for Nov. 22. A Sears
official did not respond to a request for comment on the Melville layoffs.
The chain closed more than 200 Sears and Kmart stores in 2014. Its parent company, Sears Holdings, has formed a
real estate investment trust called Seritage Growth Properties to extract value from its real estate holdings and
replenish its cash as it tries to turn around its slumping business.
Sears Holdings plans to sell and lease back about 235 properties, most of them Sears and Kmart stores, to the
REIT. The company expects $2.6 billion in proceeds. The transaction also includes the purchase of interest in its
joint ventures.
In April, Sears struck three real estate transactions, including getting $150 million from a joint venture with mall
operator Macerich. It also has deals with General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group.
In June, Sears Holdings reported that its revenue fell to $5.9 billion for its first quarter that ended May 2, 2015,
compared to $7.9 billion in the same period a year ago.
Sear Holdings said same-store sales fell by 10.6 percent during its quarter-to-date period that ended on July 25,
compared to the same period a year ago. That followed a drop of 11 percent in the first quarter.