Big box store closures coming to RI, Mass

By Alana Cerrone

acerrone@abc6.com

@Alana_Cerrone

Macy’s and Sears are closing almost 200 stores nationwide, blaming poor holiday sales.

Among those being closed – the Macy’s in Brockton and the Silver City Galleria in Taunton, as well as the Sears in Swansea and Woonsocket’s Walnut Hill Plaza.

Walnut Hill shopper John Leahy says, "the selection of stores down here is pretty much limited, particularly in this plaza they’ve got a lot of stores that have gone away."

Sears will soon join the several other vacancies inside Walnut Hill. Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt says she was disappointed to hear it will close

"Certainly it’s never a good thing you don’t want that size store to close down, especially something like a Sears that’s been there so long…people are accustomed to relying on that store."

But she says it’s not dead in the water. "There’s always the chance of me calling corporate and saying ‘I just want to make sure you’re aware of the other activity and maybe we can get them to prolong the closing."

That activity being two new eateries, plus an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in the old Staples, another company in the old Lowe’s, and the new Woonsocket DMV branch.

"I don’t feel like we’re on life support any longer on Diamond Hill Road."

40 miles away, the Silver City Galleria in Taunton is losing one of its anchor stores. Macy’s announced it will be closing 68 stores by the middle of the year.

Over 100 K-Marts are also closing, including the ones in South Attleboro and Fairhaven.

The Macy’s closures alone will eliminate 10,000 jobs.

© WLNE-TV 2017