One of the anchor stores of Madison Square Mall plans to close early next year in a move that moves the city of Huntsville closer to redeveloping the property.

In a joint press release from Sears and the city of Huntsville, the longtime department store said it will close its doors at Madison Square Mall in by late January.

The announcement did not address how many jobs will be lost with the closing of Sears. Spokesman Howard Riefs said the number of job losses "is not publicly available" in an email to AL.com. Employees will have the opportunity to apply for openings at area Sears and Kmart locations, he said.

The only Sears locations within 50 miles of Huntsville are the smaller appliance stores, according to the Sears website. There are Kmart locations in Athens and Albertville.

The city of Huntsville and the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County have agreed to help Sears associates access the Alabama Industrial Development Training Program, Alabama Works and other local employment resources to assist with finding future employment, according to the press release.

Sears in 2018 will open an appliance store - with a smaller footprint - in the Mid-City development in that will replace the struggling two-level shopping center.

Reaching a resolution with Sears is a critical part of the Mid-Center project becoming reality because the store owned the property upon which it stood.

The mall's remaining anchor store, JCPenney, also owns part of the land. The city has not announced any resolution with JCPenney.

The city council approved the city's Research Park East Urban Renewal and Redevelopment Plan in February. It calls for the city to provide infrastructure improvements in what has now been dubbed the Mid-City Huntsville.

That plan includes $10-12 million in infrastructure work from the city of Huntsville.

"We are extremely grateful to Sears for working with us on this monumental redevelopment plan of the Madison Square Mall site," Mayor Tommy Battle said. "We applaud and appreciate their partnership in this new vision and for their enduring commitment to the Huntsville market."

RCP Developers purchased land at the mall from CBL & Associates.

"The revitalization of Madison Square Mall has required a broad range of organizations to come together for a common cause - this agreement with Sears is another example," RCP Director Odie Fakhouri said in a statement.

"Together with the city, we've been able to keep Sears in the market while catalyzing a truly transformative project for Huntsville. We look forward to sharing more announcements with the public in the coming weeks."