So far, 11 Illinois Sears and Kmart stores are safe from the chopping block. Sears Holdings released a partial list of the roughly 100 stores that will be closing due to poor fourth quarter sales. Governor Pat Quinn announced publicly that he hoped all of the Illinois stores would remain open. Sears Holdings announced the store closures on the heels of a major tax deal it cut with the state to keep its headquarters in Hoffman Sates. That ensures more than six thousand jobs stay in Illinois.