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The Kmart located on North Maple Road will be closing in mid-January.

(Katie McLean | The Ann Arbor News )

Sears Holding Corp., the parent company of Sears and Kmart, plans to close its last remaining Kmart store in Washtenaw County.

The Kmart store at 215 N. Maple Road in Ann Arbor will close in mid-January, company spokesman Howard Riefs confirmed via email Wednesday afternoon.

“Store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce on-going expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model. 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,” Riefs said.

The Ann Arbor store closure is part of a continuing effort by Sears Holding Corp. to cut costs. Hundreds of Sears and Kmart stores have closed in recent years. Sears Holding reported a net loss of $573 million for the first half of 2014.

Kmart announced in September it plans to close five other stores across the state by December. Stores will close in Burton, Flint, Madison Heights, Port Huron and Rochester.

A Kmart store at 3100 Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsilanti Township closed in April. It has since been replaced with Texas-based retailer At Home.

Riefs said a liquidation sale will begin Nov. 2 at the store on North Maple Road in Ann Arbor. The store will close to the public in mid-January.

The store employs 59 people, and Riefs said eligible associates will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores.

The closure will leave a 103,000-square-foot vacancy in Brixmor’s Maple Village shopping center. Other tenants in the center include Plum Market, Anytime Fitness, English Gardens and Dunham’s.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-255-2638, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.