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The Farmington and Caribou Sears Hometown stores — the only two of the chain left in Maine — have started liquidation sales and are selling goods at steep discounts, companies handling the closures said Monday.
They follow the 2019 closure announcement of the Fort Kent location of the troubled retailer, which sells home appliances and tools.
The stores are owned by dealers. Sears Authorized Hometown Stores and Sears Hometown Inc., both of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 12. Tiger Capital Group, SB360 Capital Partners and B. Riley Retail Solutions are managing the wind-down sales, working with dealers across the country.
The manager of the Caribou store said it employs four to five people, and referred a reporter to the owner, who was not immediately available for comment. The Farmington store did not answer its phone Tuesday morning.
The two stores are among the 115 Sears Hometown stores in 36 states and Puerto Rico that are liquidating. The stores escaped a 2018 move by Sears Holdings Corp. to shut 142 of its Sears and Kmart stores as part of a financial restructuring plan under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
The announcement of the liquidation said there are discounts on name-brand home appliances, tools, lawn and garden items on inventory worth a total of $40 million across all stores.
“It is everything from Craftsman socket sets, Workpro power tools and Kenmore washing machines to Honda riding lawn mowers, Eureka vacuum cleaners and DieHard tool cabinets,” said Arnold Jacobs, executive managing director of Tiger Capital.
He said the discounts are as high as 40 percent, but they could go higher for floor models or those with scratches or dents. The stores will continue to honor gift cards.
The only other New England state with store closures is Vermont, with two.