By By Sherry Digmon
Advance Staff Writer
Every community with a Kmart store has held its collective breath as news spread that 72 stores from Georgia to California are closing.
Escambia County will lose one Kmart, but the other one in the county will remain open, according to Susan Dennis with Kmart headquarters.
The closings are part of Kmart's strategic plan, closing the less profitable stores and opening new ones with more potential.
According to a press release issued by Kmart Corporation last week, the 72 stores "do not fit the company's long-term plans. While in most cases these stores are marginally profitable, it was determined they did not justify the related capital investment due to a variety of factors such as their location and their suitability for expansion. A total of 66 traditional Kmart and six Super Kmart stores will close, most by November 1, 2000."
Despite the closings, Kmart officials seem confident about the future of the company.