Last Kmart in Jacksonville closing in 2017

It's the end of an era.

We've confirmed the last Kmart store in Jacksonville is closing in 2017.

Howard Riefs, the director of corporate communications for Sears Holdings, sent our partner Action News Jax the following statement:

"We can confirm that we are making the difficult, but necessary decision to close the Kmart store at 1501 Normandy Village in Jacksonville. The store will close to the public in mid-April. Until then, the store will remain open for customers. The store will begin its liquidation sale on January 6.  We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced. We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors. As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location. Our members and customers can also shop at our other Kmart locations, which are listed at http://www.kmart.com/stores.html. The number of associates is not publicly available. Those associates that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores.  Most of the associates are part time/hourly."

This announcement comes after other Sears and Kmart locations in the Jacksonville-area closed earlier this year.