Closings due to Cook sales tax?

A story in Saturday's Business section noted that retailer Linens 'n Things is closing four stores in the Chicago area.

I couldn't help noticing that all four are in Cook County (Chicago, Palatine, Schaumburg and Skokie).

Do you think that maybe Cook County's sales tax rate had something to do with which stores were selected for closure?

Larry Stone

Roselle