Sears to close 46 more stores nationwide by November

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Sears will close another 46 Sears and Kmart stores this fall, after having already closed more than 100 locations this year.

The struggling retailer said it notified employees at 13 Kmarts and 33 Sears stores their locations will close by November.

Most of the closures are in California, Florida, Georgia and New York.

Sears and Kmart had about 3,500 stores when they merged in 2005, but now have only 900 U.S. locations between them.

Sears Holdings said the closures are part of its efforts to streamline operations and strengthen its capital position.

"We continue to evaluate our network of stores, which is a critical component to our integrated retail transformation, and will make further adjustments as needed," it said.

Sears is weighing an offer from its CEO and largest shareholder, Eddie Lampert, to acquire its Kenmore household operations brand for $400 million.

Lampert has described the deal as "critical" for Sears.