STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After 46 years in business as an anchor store in the Staten Island Mall, Sears will close its doors for good, the Advance has learned.

Employees at the New Springville store were sent a memo obtained by the Advance stating that Transform SR LLC -- which acquired the Sears Holdings Corporation assets in February bankruptcy proceedings -- “will permanently cease its operation and close the Staten Island store.”

According to a Sears spokesperson, the store will close in mid-September.

In October, Sears Holdings announced it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

At the time Sears announced it would be closing a batch of stores, but that the Staten Island location would remain.

“As part of Sears Holdings’ bankruptcy proceedings, our go-forward company, Transform Holdco LLC, [which acquired Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores after the bankruptcy filing] has the right not to acquire various contracts that were entered into by Sears Holdings,” said Sears spokesperson.

"Transform Holdco was not able to reach a satisfactory agreement with the landlord of our Sears store at Staten Island Mall, and thus decided not to acquire the current lease for the store," he added.

Representatives of the Staten Island Mall didn’t respond over the weekend to Advance queries for comment about the closure.

LIQUIDATION SALE

The Sears spokesperson said a liquidation sale will start around July 13.

“The number of associates impacted is not available. We invite our members and customers to visit our other Sears locations and shop on sears.com,” the spokesperson said.

RECENT DOWNSIZING

Sears footprint in the Mall has been slowly shrinking over the last few years.

Sears’ second level in the Staten Island Mall closed in August 2016 to make way for Primark, which opened less than a year later at the Mall.

For 40 years, Sears had occupied 160,000 square feet on two levels at the Mall.

Sears downsized into a 40,000-square-foot space on the first floor three years ago.

In February 2016, Sears Auto Center in the Mall in closed.

The auto center was a favorite spot for Staten Island motorists to get their cars fixed or battery or tires replaced since March 1973, when Sears opened in the Mall.

The Container Store is now in that space.

MALL RENOVATIONS

Over the last two years there has been an influx of new stores at the Mall, as it’s parent company positioned the retail center for the future. This included a 242,000-square-foot renovation, which began in 2015 and welcomed a host of new stores and restaurants to the New Springville shopping center.

A centrally-located exterior plaza has been created for community gatherings and seasonal events.

A “food district” with a myriad of eateries, as well as restaurants located in other areas of the Mall, have given shoppers many new and exciting dining options.

Among the new retailers is Lidl, a supermarket with German roots. There is also a dine-in AMC theater with an IMAX theater.

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