KEY POINTS
  • Since filing for bankruptcy, the retailer has announced plans to close more than 260 of its 700 or so stores, or more than a third of its locations.
Signs in the window of a Sears store advertise the store's closing on May 3, 2018 in Chicago.
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Sears plans to close 80 more stores across the U.S. in March, as the bankrupt retailer may be forced to liquidate its business entirely, CNBC has learned.

The department store operator told employees Thursday that it plans to shut another round of Kmart and Sears stores next year, in addition to those that are already in the process of going dark. When Sears filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 15, it was still operating a little under 700 stores. At that time, the company said it would close 142 unprofitable stores. In November, it announced the closure of 40 additional stores.