Kmart is closing its Durham store and laying off 79 people, the company has notified state officials. The store, which operated for nearly three decades at 4215 University Drive, is slated to close Jan. 20.
Liquidation sales will get underway this weekend.
"These decisions are never easy, because Kmart appreciates being a member of the community," said Kmart spokesman Chris Brathwaite. "However, we made a business decision to not renew the lease at this location based on its performance."
The majority of employees are part-time and will have an opportunity to apply for openings at area Sears and Kmart stores, Brathwaite said.
Both retailers are owned by Sears Holdings Corp., which operates 46 Kmarts and 4 Sears stores in North Carolina.
John Murawski has been a full-time newspaper reporter since 1991, with stints at Legal Times and The Chronicle of Philanthropy (both in Washington, DC), The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Palm Beach Post (in South Florida) before arriving at the N&O in December 2004. At the N&O he covers energy (nuclear, coal, renewable, efficiency), hydralic fracturing (or "fracking"), public utilities (both electric and natural gas) and health care. His beat includes Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, PowerSecure International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Biogen Idec and others. You can reach him at 919-829-8932 or