Kmart Supercenter

Kmart Supercenter (Formerly Super Kmart and Super Kmart Center) was a hypermarket chain in the United States and Mexico that was run by Kmart from 1991 until 2018 when the last Kmart Supercenter permanently closed. 
== History ==
In 1988, Walmart opened the first Walmart Supercenter in Washington, Missouri. As Kmart began to have more competition from various similar retailers, Kmart also decided to make a hypermarket chain.
On July 25th, 1991, the first Super Kmart Center opened in Medina Township, Ohio. This new concept featured a full grocery section with fresh produce, a deli, a frozen section, and lots more selection throughout the store. This first location turned out to be a success for the chain, and Kmart decided to open more locations. 
The second location was also opened in Ohio. This store featured a video rental store and a Chinese restaurant. 
After this second location, Kmart continued to open more locations throughout the 1990s, and some standard Kmart locations were expanded and converted to new Super Kmart locations. 
In 1995, Kmart made its first expansion into the Mexican market when they opened several Super Kmart Center locations in Mexico City.https://www.supermarketnews.com/independents-regional-grocers/the-supercenter-juggernaut-1995-07-24-1-
By 1997, there were 99 Kmart Supercenter locations. These proved successful; however, by this time, Walmart had over 500 Walmart Supercenter locations, which were usually more successful then Kmart's hypermarkets. In the same year, Kmart closed all of their Mexican Super Kmart Centers, which meant that they no longer operated in Mexico. Also in 1997, Super Kmart Center got a new logo and branding. New stores were now called "Super Kmart" and used a similar branding as Big Kmart, which was a new store concept made in 1997. 
In 2002, Kmart filed for bankruptcy and closed many stores. This included the majority of Super Kmart locations. However, there were still a few dozen locations left that continued to operate. 
In 2004, Kmart introduced a new logo and branding for their stores, this included Super Kmart. They adopted a new logo and were rebranded to "Kmart Supercenter". Even though this new logo was introduced, no Kmart Supercenters actually used the logo on stores. 
Starting in the late 2000s and into the 2010s, Kmart began to close more Kmart Supercenters. They also downsized some locations into standard Kmart locations without grocery sections.
By 2015, there were only a few Kmart Supercenter locations left, and it was clear to see that the chains days were numbered.
On April 8th, 2018, the final Kmart Supercenter location closed in Howland Township, Ohiohttps://www.wfmj.com/story/37193985/niles-hermitage-kmart-stores-to-close-in-april, marking the end of the chain. 
== See also ==
* Kmart
* Sears Holdings & Co
* Walmart Supercenter
* Super Target
Category:Discount stores
Category:Hypermarkets
Category:Superstores
Category:Big-Box Stores
Category:North America
Category:Mexico
Category:USA
Category:Defunct
Category:Retailers
Category:Companies
Category:Brands
Category:Franchises