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Kmarts in Chesterton and LaPorte will close in the spring as part of Sears Holdings Corp.'s accelerated plan to shutter unprofitable Kmart and Sears locations across the U.S., the retailer announced Wednesday.

Liquidation sales will begin as early as Friday at closing stores, Kmart's parent company announced in a news release.

The decision to close 108 Kmart and 42 Sears locations is “a difficult but necessary step,” the financially struggling retailer stated in the release.

“Many of these stores have struggled with their financial performance for years and we have kept them open to maintain local jobs and in the hopes that they would turn around,” Sears Holdings said in the release.

In all, 108 Kmarts and 42 Sears locations are impacted by the announcement. Store associates were notified in a wave of announcements Dec. 27 and on Wednesday.

Stores slated for closure include Chesterton's Kmart, 750 Indian Boundary Road, and LaPorte's location at 1460 West Ind. 2.

Kmart closed its Merrillville store at 101 Lincoln Highway in December. A Kmart building near 95th Avenue and U.S. 41 in St. John has been unoccupied since October 2012.

"Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores," the release stated.

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