The Kmart spokeswoman, Lori McTavish, said the company did not plan to close "nearly that many stores."

A Kmart spokeswoman said last night that the company was "working with our vendors to come up with mutually agreeable terms."

A Kmart spokeswoman said the company was interested in developing healthy long-term relationships with all of its suppliers.

While all our suppliers are important," said the Kmart spokeswoman, Shawn M. Kahle, "they do not have a say in the process.

No details of the inquiry have been made public, and a Kmart spokeswoman said yesterday that she could not provide any because the case was still unfolding.

The merger is expected to be made final sometime in March, said Caryn Klebba, a Kmart spokeswoman.

"It was a mutually agreeable decision," a Kmart spokeswoman, Mary Lorencz, said.

In an interview this week a Kmart spokeswoman said the chain would carry "Time Out" in its 2,401 stores.

A Kmart spokeswoman said the company does not discuss its conversations with investors and could not say whether the dartboard existed.

He plans to retire from retail permanently, a Kmart spokeswoman said.