Streets of Woodfield Carson's store among 7 closing in Illinois
Seven Carson's department stores in Illinois, including the store at Schaumburg's Streets of Woodfield, will be among 42 stores closing nationwide, the company announced Wednesday.
The parent company, Bon-Ton Stores Inc., said the stores are part of its previously communicated "store rationalization" program.
"As part of the comprehensive turnaround plan we announced in November, we are taking the next steps in our efforts to move forward with a more productive store footprint," said Bill Tracy, president and chief executive officer for The Bon-Ton Stores.
Carson's stores on the list to close include clearance centers in the Village Plaza in Morton Grove and in the Aurora Shopping Center in Aurora. Carson's in Danville and DeKalb and at Riverside Plaza in Chicago are also slated to close, as is a Bergner's store in Peoria.
The company said based on previous announcements, a total of 47 stores will close early this year. "We remain focused on executing our key initiatives to drive improved performance in an effort to strengthen our capital structure to support the business going forward," Tracy said.
Other suburban Carson's not on the list are in Vernon Hills, Mount Prospect, Lombard and Bloomingdale.
Bon Ton has partnered with a third-party liquidator, Hilco Merchant Resources to help manage the store closings. Closing sales are scheduled to begin on Feb. 1 and run for about 10 to 12 weeks, according to the company.
Employees at the closing stores will be offered the opportunity to interview for available positions at other stores, according to a release.
Bon-Ton Stores, with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 260 stores which include nine furniture galleries and four clearance centers in 24 states.