Sears Hometown store in Eunice among closures
Three of the last six Sears stores in Louisiana are about to close.
Stores in Eunice’s hometown, Mansura and Luling have begun clearance sales and will be among about 100 stores in 30 states that the struggling retail brand will close, according to Facebook posts on Tuesday.
Transformco, which bought Sears Hometown and Outlet stores in 2019, has not officially announced the closures. Instead, each store posted it on social media.
Transformco acquired Sears after filing for bankruptcy in 2019.
In a statement last fall after announcing store closures, Transformco said its “store strategy for Sears and Kmart is to operate a diverse portfolio consisting of a small number of leading department stores with a larger number of small format stores”.
The Eunice store, 340 E. Laurel Ave., is a franchise store that sells the Sears line of appliances and hardware as well as Whirlpool, Craftsman, Kenmore and Die Hard items.
Sears retains its Home & Life store in Lafayette, 4405 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, one of only three in the country. The former 195,000 square foot Sears space in the Acadiana Mall remains empty.
Five Below will open a second Lafayette store
A second Five Below store will open in the Stirling Lafayette mall on Louisiana Avenue.
The discount retailer will open in the former Lane Bryant space next to Target at 3221 Louisiana Ave., documents show.
The store, which sells items $5 or less, is part of the company’s major expansion that includes 375 to 400 stores over the next two fiscal years and triples its total number of stores by 2025 as more and more consumers are flocking to discount stores.
The company reported a 16% increase in net sales in the fourth quarter, up 3.4% from a year ago. He opened 17 stores during this period.
“Looking ahead to 2022, we will continue to play offense and focus on innovation and experience as we navigate a dynamic macro environment linked to the lingering impacts of the pandemic,” the CEO said. Joel Anderson.
Bank of Sunset manager to become president of Louisiana Bankers Association
K. Brent Vidrine, President and CEO of Bank of Sunset, has been named 2022-23 Chairman of the Louisiana Bankers Association Board of Directors.
Vidrine succeeds Jerry Ledet, Chairman and CEO of Synergy Bank in Houma. As past president of the association, Ledet will continue to serve for one year as past president of the association’s board of directors.
The other officers 2022-23 are:
- President-elect Joseph F. Quinlan III, of the First National Bankers Bank in Baton Rouge
- Treasurer Brian North, Fifth District Savings Bank in New Orleans
The delegates to the convention of the association elected these new administrators:
- Acadiana Region: Kip Bertrand, Washington State Bank
- Capitol Region: Mark S. Marionneaux, Bank of Zachary
- Central Region: Darryl J. Ellerbee Jr., from Delta Bank to Vidalia
- Southwest Region: Samuel V. Wilkinson, First Federal Bank of Louisiana in Lake Charles
The other Association Directors who will continue to serve for the coming year are:
- Northeast Region: Paige B. Oliver, Bank of Oak Ridge
- North West Region: John C. Cole, of Gibsland Bank & Trust
- South Central Region: Steven J. Crispino, South Louisiana Bank in Houma
- Southeast Region: Chip Knight, of Hancock Whitney Bank in New Orleans
- Southeast Region: Chris Ferris, of Fidelity Bank in New Orleans
- Member at Large: Rose M. Miller, of the First National Bank of Louisiana in Lafayette
Ginger Laurent, CEO of LBA in Baton Rouge.
