Sears store in Shrewsbury to close
linda denicola
The Hub
MARIE ORTIZ Officials from Sears, Roebuck and Co. say that this Sears Hardware store in Shrewsbury had been underperforming, and thus it and others will close in hopes of improving the company’s profitability.
Some do-it-yourselfers will lament the closing of the Sears Hardware store in Shrewsbury next month, but apparently not enough to keep it open.
The Shrewsbury store opened in November 1996.
"It was one of the first of our small, 20,000-square-foot stores and has been an underperformer," said Tom Nicholson, a spokesman for Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Angelo Ascione, Tinton Falls, said he moved to northern Tinton Falls, off Hance Avenue, last year and was pleased to learn that there was a hardware store so close.
"During the first couple of months in the new house, which is actually 45 years old, I would be at Sears at least once a week with my 2-year-old," Ascione said.
"He liked shopping there because they always had a big bowl of popcorn for the kids," he added.
Another shopper said he would be sorry to see the store close.
"I’m used to running over to the store for last-minute parts or tools. I recently bought a 90-year-old farmhouse that needs a lot of work," he said.
According to Nicholson, the Shrewsbury store is one of 30 small hardware stores that will be closed by March 1.
It is the only one in New Jersey to be closed, he said.
The Sears Hardware stores in Howell and the Marlboro/Englishtown area will remain open.
Sears, which is based in Hoffman, Ill., plans to open nine new stores, but Nicholson did not know where in New Jersey.
The new format for Sears Hardware stores calls for 40,000 to 60,000 square feet, which would enable the store to include a drive-through area for picking up bulkier items, and a greenhouse.
Nicholson said he did not know how many people the Shrewsbury store employs, but noted that hardware stores of that size generally employ about 34 people.
All the store’s employees are being encouraged to apply at other Sears locations, he said.
There are three full-size stores in Monmouth County. There is a free-standing store in Middletown, another at the Raceway Mall in Freehold Township and a third in Ocean at what used to be Seaview Square Mall.
That mall is in the process of being torn down, with only the Sears and Value City remaining. Several "big box" retailers, such as Costco and Lowe’s Home Center, have plans to build on the site.
Sears introduced the Sears Hardware format as a separate chain of stores in 1983, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that it began opening more stores tailored to the do-it-yourself shopper.
Besides closing 30 hardware stores, the company announced that it was closing 53 National Tire and Battery (NTB) stores and four of its 860 full-line stores, two of which include Sears Auto Centers.
The company plans to complete the closings in the first quarter of 2001. The only full-size store to close in New Jersey is in Voorhees.
"Our actions reflect our heightened focus on productivity and returns. We will continue to identify opportunities to more effectively deploy resources and enhance overall company profitability," said company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan J. Lacy.
"By closing underperforming NTB and hardware stores, we will enhance the profitability of Sears’ off-the-mall businesses, Lacy said.
The closings come on the heels of a disappointing holiday season experienced by many of the nation’s large retailers.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. announced total domestic store revenues for the five weeks ending Dec. 30 were $4.42 billion, a decrease of 0.1 percent compared to $4.43 billion for the five weeks ending Jan. 1, 2000.
"Like other retailers, general industry softness and difficult weather conditions dampened our holiday season sales," Lacy said.
"Despite the challenging environment, we posted solid sales in a number of leadership categories. Appliances posted solid gains, while sporting goods, and lawn and garden generated strong increases," he added. "Footwear and home fashions also performed well. Off the mall, we were very pleased with the results posted by Sears Tire Group and the Great Indoors, which both showed double-digit increases."