Kmart Closes Kahului Store After 24 Years

The Big Kmart in Kahului officially closed its doors on Sunday, June 18, 2017, after nearly 24 years in business at the Dairy Road location.

The Kmart store in Kahului officially closed its doors on Sunday, June 18, 2017. File photo by Wendy Osher.

The closure was announced in March, and was followed by a liquidation sale over the last 12 weeks.

Representatives with Sears Holding Co., the parent company of Kmart, called the decision a difficult but necessary one.

The closure followed the shuttering of the Honolulu location on Salt Lake Boulevard earlier this year and and an announcement late last year of more than 100 store closing across the nation.

The Kahului store, which was the only Kmart on the island, employed more than 100 workers who were given the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Sears and Kmart stores in Hawaiʻi. Those who were eligible were to receive severance pay.

Company officials say the accelerated store closings come as they take an aggressive and strategic evaluation of store space and productivity.

There are three remaining Kmart stores in Hawaiʻi–one each on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.