HANOVER TWP. — Sears will close its warehouse in Hanover Township, leaving 121 employees out of work.
That’s according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice filed with the state Department of Labor & Industry.
The layoffs will be effective March 29, the filing states, and the reason listed is closure.
A Sears spokesperson released the following statement:
“Sears Holdings is implementing a strategy to optimize our supply chain resources to meet the needs of our retail business and align with our forecasted volume.
“As part of this strategy, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close our distribution center in Wilkes-Barre in mid-May 2019. Until then, it will continue to operate and distribute products to our Sears and Kmart stores.
“The number of impacted associates is not available.”
Sears Logistics was renamed Innovel Solutions in 2014, according to online reports. The local warehouse is at 1055 Hanover St. and extends into parts of three municipalities — Hanover Township, Sugar Notch and Warrior Run.
According to the Sears Holdings website, Sears Logistics is the single point of contact for all logistical activity at Sears, Roebuck and Co. It is responsible for the arrangement, supervision and maintenance of transportation, warehousing, home delivery and customer service of products sold through Sears.
The iconic chain has struggled mightily in recent years, closing thousands of stores. Company chairman Eddie Lampert’s hedge fund recently won a bankruptcy auction to save the stores that remain. The Associated Press reported that the move preserved some 45,000 jobs.
Facility Specs:
Address:
1055 Hanover Street
Wilkes Barre, PA 18706
Building size:
1,066,548 sq. ft.
Plot size:
127.23 Acres
Exterior Images:
