Antioch Crossing Sears closing after nearly 44 years; H&M sets Lee’s Summit opening

After opening in Antioch Center in November 1973, Sears held on for decades, through changing demographics and a major redevelopment of the center.

But now the store, at 5415 N.E. Antioch Road in Antioch Crossing, is having a liquidation sale and will close in late July.

In a statement, Howard Riefs, spokesman for Sears, said: “We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced. We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors.”

The store’s employees who are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores. Riefs would not say how many people the Antioch Crossing store employs.

Antioch Center was Kansas City’s first shopping center north of the Missouri River when it opened in 1956. The re-developer, Antioch Redevelopment Partners LLC, purchased the mall in 2010 and started tearing it down in early 2012. However, longtime tenants Sears, Burlington Coat Factory, Goodyear Tire and Bank of America continued to operate in the center.

The $67 million Antioch Crossing has since added such tenants as Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Firehouse Subs, Baskin-Robbins and PepperJax Grill. Starbucks also plans to open in the Northland center.

Sears has 142,616 square feet in Antioch Crossing. The landlord said it has already had interest from potential retail tenants and could split up the space for smaller tenants.

The upper level floor facing Antioch Road is 87,216 square feet, and the lower level, facing Chouteau Trafficway, is 55,400 square feet.

H&M in Lee’s Summit

Sweden-based retailer H&M plans to open its new Lee’s Summit store at noon June 8.

The 20,000-square-foot store is at 840 N.W. Blue Parkway in Summit Fair. The first 200 shoppers in line on opening day will receive an H&M Access to Fashion Pass, valued between $10 and $300, in addition to other surprise offers.

Customers who bring in a garment to recycle on opening day also can enter to win a gift card from $50 to $250. H&M started the recycling program in 2013. Clothing that can be worn again will be sold as second-hand items, but some clothes and textiles will be repurposed into other products, such as cleaning cloths or insulation.

The Lee’s Summit store will have about 20 employees.

H&M is a leading international retailer offering fashionable apparel and accessories at low prices for the family. H&M has area locations on the Country Club Plaza and in Overland Park’s Oak Park Mall.

H&M also is taking the 25,000-square-foot former Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th space at 1803 Village West Parkway, Suite 103, in the Legends Outlets Kansas City. It plans a fall opening in the Kansas City, Kan., shopping center.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Antioch Crossing Sears closing after nearly 44 years; H&M sets Lee’s Summit opening."