Today's announcement by Sears to close 59 stores and eliminate about 2,900 jobs will not affect operations in the Okanagan.

Sears outlets in Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Oliver, Keremeos and Princeton will all remain open under a court-supervised restructuring that will see about one-third of the company's various outlets close.

Thursday's announcement will see five outlets in B.C. close. Included in that list is the Sears store in the Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops.

Sears Hometown stores in Grand Forks, Creston and Sechelt will close, while the outlet store in Abbotsford is also closing.

The closures come after the company was granted temporary court protection from creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act this morning.

Trading in Sears shares was halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange prior to the announcement.

The struggling retailer has piled up losses over several years and seen its stock dive, losing more than 80 per cent of its value in the last year, despite efforts to reinvent itself.