Sear’s closing Rome store in mid-March; 86 jobs in all. No changes with Rome Kmart.

New today: Ignore those postings about Rome’s Kmart closing. Manager Michael Barger this morning says those reports are bogus. “We’re fine,” says Barger.

But its sister store, Sears at Mount Berry Mall, will close by mid-March.

What we know for sure is the Sears location is closing in mid-March. Our initial report follows:

In recent years, there have been reports in business circles on the fate of the Sears store at Mount Berry Mall. Those reports picked up steam in November following a posting of changes proposed for the mall, including the demolition of the Sears “wing.” At least part of that scenario has been confirmed.

“The Sears store and Sears Auto Center in Rome will close to the public in mid-March. Until then, the store will remain open for customers,” according to a statement from Howard Riefs, director of corporate communications. “The store will begin its liquidation sale on Jan. 15. Store closures are part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base and accelerate the transformation of our business model.

“The store and auto center have a combined 86 employees. Those associates that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores.”

Related updates:

• We have emails into Hull Property Group, the mall’s owners, for additional comment.
• The new comes just days after Express confirmed it is closing its store at the mall. Due at the mall in coming weeks: Auntie Anne’s premium pretzel shop.
• Late last summer, the Sear’s Hometown Store in Cartersville closed. The “hometown” and outlet stores split with the big retailer several years ago.

Hometown Headlines posted the following story on Nov. 25, showing schematics both online and on file with the city building department that shows the Sears wing coming down. The belief is part of that property will be used for a new road connecting the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College to Martha Berry Highway.

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Take a good look around the region’s largest retail center this Black Friday/Christmas shopping season. The above construction schematic posted for the new Auntie Anne’s pretzel shop at Mount Berry Mall outlines potential major changes for the 477,000-square-foot center.

According to documents posted on The Construction Journal and on LDI Line — as well as at Rome’s building department, the footprint of the existing mall is pictured with slashing lines indicating “proposed demo” of the Sears’ wing and adjoining storefronts (most vacant) as well as reductions to the main front entrance as well as the back entrance, including the one-time home of the mall arcade. Retailers at the Sears’ end and near the front and back entrances would be relocated as indicated by the areas marked with X on the schematic. See the “relocation zone” indicator on the drawing.

Auntie Anne’s, at 560 square feet, will open adjacent to Dwarf House Chick-fil-A Classicson the end closest to the center of the mall. Another file on The Construction Journalshows updates are coming to Journeys across from Dunham’s Sports. Journeys is in the “relocation” zone although it wouldn’t be moving.

Coles P. Doyle of Hull Property Group, contacted via email Tuesday evening, responded as follows: “We often have several versions of plans that we circulate for conversations with prospective tenants and city officials to show various scenarios of what we could do with a property. We are not ready to comment on any such scenario as no decisions on how to proceed have been made and there are a variety of plans and scenarios to consider.”

The plan in the above schematic match many of the rumors associated with the mall in recent years. It also sparks questions such as what happen’s to Sear’s, who’s parent company has been trimming both the longtime retailer and its Kmart stores. The Kmart off Turner McCall and Hicks Drive has extra space, especially since dropping the grocery section a few years ago.

Another consideration is the expected synergy coming from the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College, now under construction adjacent to the mall off the Armuchee Bypass and Old Dalton Road. One scenario has a new road linking the tennis center to Martha Berry with a path that takes in the current home of Sear’s. The tennis center is scheduled to open in June with several tournaments already booked for next summer.

Mall downsizing has been a practice used by the Hull organization at some of the other properties is has collected in recent years. Among them: Macon Mall. Hull also has rebranded some of its shopping centers — and apparently did so with Mount Berry, dumping the “square” and adding mall a few years ago.

Hull was known as Hull Storey Gibson out of Augusta when it purchased Mount Berry in September 2012. (Original media release) Company executives had this to say at the time of the purchase:

• “We understand the need for a vibrant city like Rome to have a prosperous enclosed mall and Mount Berry Square Mall has the potential to become a regional fashion destination serving Rome and the surrounding areas,” said Jim Hull, Managing Partner of Hull Storey Gibson Companies. “We plan to invest the time and capital needed to improve the shopping experience for the Mall’s customers.”
• “We take a very hands-on approach to ownership and we want to become an engaged member of the community,” said John Gibson, Managing Partner of Hull Storey Gibson Companies. “We are looking forward to learning more about Rome and working with community leaders and regional stakeholders to strengthen the retail offerings in Rome and better meet the needs of the areas growing population.”

In the three-plus years under Hull’s ownership, Dunham’s Sports has been the signature addition, filling the spot once used by Proffitt’s and later Belk after the two merged. Belk later consolidated into one slot, on the mall’s south wing, and the Dunham’s location remained vacant until two years ago. Hull brought in some other smaller stores and saw a recommitment as Dwarf House Chick-fil-A Classics took over the former Chick-fil-A spot on the food court.

Hull also has removed some of mall’s signature features such as the play area and the carousel. Many of the kiosks also were eliminated. Open storefronts, including those in the Sears’ wing, were covered with period photographs from Rome’s past.