MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, MI – Goodwill plans to open a retail outlet center that will sell goods by the pound inside the former Kmart in Muskegon Township.
Goodwill Industries of West Michigan is in the early planning stages after entering into a build-to-suit lease agreement with the building owner during October, according to a news release.
It’s unclear when the nonprofit plans to open its outlet. President and CEO Jeanette Hoyer did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
Goodwill is leasing a 64,000-square-foot portion of the former Kmart, 1501 E. Apple Ave., which closed during March 2017. Planet Fitness opened in a separate part of the building during January 2018.
The outlet is expected to offer a different shopping experience compared to other Goodwill stores. It will sell unsorted items by the pound, according to the release. The items will be brought to the facility after failing to sell at the organization’s 16 other stores.
“Bargain-hunters will find major scores here,” James Cherney, retail operation director, said in a prepared statement. “Other Goodwill organizations have successfully implemented this business model to maximize donations and reduce waste.”
It will be the first outlet for Goodwill Industries of West Michigan.
In addition to the outlet, the site will include a donation drive-thru, e-commerce division, and a specialty store selling gently-used furniture, electronics and other items.
The space will allow Goodwill to ramp up its retail recycling efforts and provide office furniture and equipment disassembly services to area businesses and manufacturers, according to the news release.
Goodwill recently hired an environmental sustainability manager to help the agency maximize the recycling of donated items while also providing new training and job opportunities.
“We are excited about this expansion of our services,” Hoyer said in a written statement. “The synergy between retail operations, recycling, e-commerce, and job training — fostered under one roof — is both practical and dynamic.”
Revenue generated from the sale of donated goods and recycled components helps fund Goodwill’s employment and training programs, and community support services.
The Muskegon area once had two Kmart stores. The location at 3530 Henry St. in Norton Shores closed in summer 2004. It remains empty. Sears Holdings, which owns Kmart and Sears, has closed hundreds of stores in recent years. The most recently announced round of closures includes the Sears at The Lakes Mall.