Broome County government photo
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The Kmart store in the Binghamton Plaza is scheduled to close in mid-December. [Broome County Government photo][/caption]

This Christmas, for the first time in several decades, Kmart will have no presence in Broome County.

Kmart plans to shut down the Binghamton Plaza store in two months.

The retailer has announced it will close its 33 West State Street location to the public in mid-December.

Kmart owner Sears Holdings has been evaluating store locations across the United States in recent years.

The Binghamton site was spared in previous rounds of corporate cuts but spokesman Howard Reifs said the company has "accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores."

Reifs said the Binghamton store will start its liquidation sale on Thursday. He stressed the store will remain open for customers until mid-December.

Reifs would not disclose how many people now work at the Binghamton Plaza store. He said the local employees would be eligible to receive severance. They also would be able to apply for open positions at other Sears or Kmart stores. He said the Kmart store on Route 13 in Cortland will remain open.

Reifs noted most of those who work at the Kmart Binghamton site are part-time, hourly employees.

Broome County Kmart stores have been on the endangered list for years. The company first shut down an underperforming operation in the Vestal Plaza.

The Endicott Plaza Kmart store closed without warning five years ago when the site between Harrison and Vestal avenues was inundated by the massive flooding that devastated the region.

Kmart initially had planned to reopen the Endicott store. The property owner said the company negotiated for months to resume operations at the site before ultimately deciding not to return. The entire Endicott Plaza site remains idle.

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The abandoned Endicott Plaza Kmart site as it appeared in January 2014. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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