WAITE PARK - The Kmart store in Waite Park is closing later this year.

Corporate spokesman Howard Riefs says the store will close in early December. They will begin a liquidation sale this Sunday.

Riefs says the store has 57 employees. Most of them are part-time hourly staff. The staff that are eligible will receive severance, and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other area Sears and Kmart stores.

Riefs says "the store closures are part of a series of actions they're taking to reduce on-going expenses, adjust their asset base, and accelerate the transformation of their business model."

He also says, "these actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail - at the store, online, and in the home".

According to their website, 11 Kmart stores remain in Minnesota: Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Dundas, International Falls, Minneapolis, Moorhead, Rochester, St. Paul, Thief River Falls, Virginia, and West St. Paul.

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