Sears’ days in Presque Isle numbered
END OF AN ERA — Sears, a retailer that has been in Presque Isle for decades — first on Main Street where Rite Aid is now located, then at the Aroostook Centre Mall — will be closing its doors for good at the mall next week.
The announcement that the Chicago-based company would be closing was made in October, with Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications, indicating the closure was “part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base and accelerate the transformation of our business model,” and that “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. Our investments in ‘Shop Your Way’ and ‘Integrated Retail’ enable us to migrate the shopping activity of highly engaged members, who previously shopped these closed stores, to alternative channels.” Following Sears’ announced closing, Lewiston-based VIP Tires & Services hired several Sears tire center employees. VIP has since reached an agreement with the mall to move into the vacated automotive center formerly used by Sears. Sears employees have been a familiar sight along local roadways in recent weeks, holding signs directing motorists to check out the closure sale. At left, an unidentified sign holder stands on State Street near the Wintergreen Arts Center, while at right a fellow Sears employee stands near the Elks Lodge on Main Street.
Photos by Michael Gudreau
