HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Sears is closing its last full-size store in Alabama.
The company announced Tuesday it will shut down 26 full-size Sears stores and Kmart locations nationwide in late October. That includes the Sears at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover, which is Alabama's largest shopping mall.
Traditional retailers are being battered by online sellers, and Sears says it has to reduce the number of its largest stores. Sears will still have smaller locations it calls "hometown stores" in eight cities statewide.
Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last fall. The company has closed hundreds of stores in recent years.