Iconic retailer’s retreat leaves Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord as the state’s last outpost, stirring questions about the brand’s future.
The wave of department‑store shutdowns has finally washed over Sears in Burbank, trimming the onetime retail titan to just one California location. Shoppers who once relied on dozens of Golden State branches now have a single option—inside Concord’s Sunvalley Shopping Center—while employees, local landlords, and nostalgia‑minded customers wonder what comes next.
How the once‑ubiquitous Sears shrank to a single Golden State outpost
Sears confirmed that its Burbank Town Center store will close for good, a decision the mall’s general manager, Eric Maenner, disclosed to Excelsior California. Plans for the vacated space remain up in the air, underscoring how quickly mall real estate can pivot when an anchor leaves. Remember when every suburban weekend included a Sears run for Craftsman tools or new school clothes? Those days feel distant now.
California is not alone. After years of falling sales and fierce competition from Walmart, Target, and e‑commerce giants, Sears maintains only six additional full‑line stores across the country. The list below shows just how thinly the brand is stretched:
- Orlando, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- El Paso, Texas
- Braintree, Massachusetts
- Concord, California (last in state)
- Caguas, Puerto Rico
Will one of these be next on the chopping block? Shoppers in those areas may want to visit sooner rather than later. These are remaining Sears stores in mid‑2025:
| City | State/Territory |
|---|---|
| Orlando | Florida |
| Miami | Florida |
| El Paso | Texas |
| Braintree | Massachusetts |
| Concord | California |
| Caguas | Puerto Rico |
The table makes the retailer’s shrinking map painfully clear: a handful of dots where hundreds once stood.
What the final Sunvalley Shopping Center location means for loyal customers
For Bay Area residents, the Concord store has become both a convenience and a time capsule—one part shopping trip, one part stroll down memory lane. Yet its survival is hardly guaranteed. Analysts note that Sears’ last significant reinvention dates back more than a decade; without fresh investment or a niche strategy, even die‑hard fans could be left with only online memories.
Sears’ journey—from 1888 mail‑order catalogs to the 110‑story Sears Tower and now to seven scattered stores—illustrates how retail giants can falter when innovation stalls. Whether the company can leverage its storied name into a smaller, profitable model remains to be seen. For now, California shoppers have one last chance to walk the familiar aisles and, perhaps, snag a final blue‑light deal.