Lands' End to leave Sears in South Burlington by end of the year

South Burlington's University Mall will soon be losing its Lands' End store found inside Sears. 

Customers who regularly shop at the store-within-a-store have until the end of the company's fiscal year to make purchases at the outdoor-inspired clothing retailer, as reported by WCAX.

Initially purchased by Sears Holdings in 2002 for $1.9 billion, Lands' End was seen as a key factor in making the department store "the preferred shopping destination for families," according to a press release by Sears Holdings at the time of the acquisition. After 12 years together, Lands' End split from Sears in 2014, and began a gradual phasing out of its association with the department store. 

Last October, the state's lone Sears department store was spared during a wave of Chapter 11 bankruptcy-related retail closures. But now, the ramifications of those financial dealings are being felt in Vermont.

At a time when e-commerce is rising and brick-and-mortar stores are closing, the Dodgeville, Wisconsin, based company has bucked trends and begun opening their own stores across the country.

There is no word on whether Lands' End will open up a new store in Vermont. 

Contact Ethan Bakuli at (802) 556-1804 or ebakuli@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BakuliEthan.