photo by: Chris Conde

Lawrence's Kmart distribution center is pictured Sept. 26, 2018.

A retailer that operates a significant distribution center in Lawrence is closing more stores.

The holding company that owns Sears and Kmart stores announced Wednesday that it is closing 26 additional stores by late October. Kmart operates a distribution center in Lawrence that historically has employed several hundred people.

The holding company, Transform Holdco, said it would shutter five Kmart stores and 21 Sears stores as part of the reorganization.

Transform bought Sears and Kmart out of bankruptcy. The group said in a notice to customers and vendors that it had struggled to bring many of its stores back to “sustainable levels of productivity.” It also blamed a generally weak retail environment for the closures.

The company warned that it can’t rule out additional store closures in the near term. The company, though, said it does hope to add several hundred Sears Hometown stores to its offerings. Those stores are significantly smaller than traditional Sears stores.

None of the announced closings were in Kansas. The closest was a Sears store in Independence, Mo. Lawrence has not had a Sears or Kmart store for several years.