By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Kmart's announcement to close more than 326 stores nationwide will affect four stores in the St. Louis area.
The company will close stores in Arnold, Crestwood, Overland, and north St. Louis on Lewis and Clark Boulevard.
In all, Kmart will fire 37,000 people nationwide. The move is a bid to recover from bankruptcy; the company says it will provide some benefits to employees who are affected, including extended health care and job placement assistance.
Last March, Kmart announced that it was closing nearly 300 other stores, affecting 22,000 jobs.
The affected stores in St. Louis are:
Big Kmart, 237 Arnold Crossroads, Arnold
Big Kmart, 9440 Watson Road, Crestwood
Big Kmart, 8901 Page Ave., Overland
Big Kmart, 10041 Lewis & Clark Blvd., St. Louis
Kmart is also closing two stores in the western Missouri cities of Blue Springs and Grandview.