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Sears in Luverne announces it will close Aug. 29

By
Lori Sorenson

Sears in Luverne is closing Aug. 29, according to a statement released this week by storeowners Jeff and Amy Cook.
“This was a tough decision … and we appreciate all the support over the last couple of years,” the release stated.
The announcement marks the end of another short chapter of local Sears ownership in a book comprised of short chapters.
The Cooks bought the business in June 2013 from Jan Sudenga, who had owned it for five years after buying it in 2008.
She had been a Sears employee for 14 years, first as an employee of Tim and Karis Gust in 1999, then of Brett Miller.
Luverne was without a Sears for five years after the corporation closed its catalog stores in communities nationwide in 1993.
In Luverne Rich DeSchepper had managed the Sears store for 17 years until that time.
He said Sears approached him in February 1993 about becoming a dealer, but he said he wasn't interested and cautioned others about taking the risk.
"They expect each dealer store to do $1 million each year in sales, and I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen in Luverne," DeSchepper told the Star Herald in 1993. "Buyer beware."
Luverne was without a Sears store for five years before it reopened on East Main Street in 1999.
Sears announced in mid-1998 it was looking for a local entrepreneur in Luverne to own and operate a Sears dealer store.
At that time, dealers were responsible for start-up and ongoing operating expenses associated with the store.
These expenses include building or leasing a facility (roughly 6,000 to 10,000 square feet), providing in-store fixtures, hiring and training employees (three full-time equivalents), payroll and insurance. No clothing or household goods are sold in the dealer stores.
Dealers were paid variable commissions on merchandise sold plus bonuses. The national weighted commissions average for Sears was 9.25 percent.
Sears on East Main Street has been on a year-to-year lease with Living Rock Church, which owns the whole building and occupies the west portion for church operations.

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