Office Depot closing not about location
Round Lake Beach officials said its more of a sign of the times than the location when hearing Office Depot at 2051 N. Route 83 will shut its doors less than two years after the store opened.
Dave Kilbane, village manager of Round Lake Beach, said it's a tough economy, and he expects a few more businesses to shut down before things get better in the future.
"It's unfortunate, but we can see more of this type of thing going on in the coming months as businesses - specifically franchises - position themselves in this economy," he said. "This is a situation that isn't unique to Round Lake Beach overall."
He said he was shocked that the Office Depot was already closing, estimating the store opened on Route 83 between 18 months and 2 years ago.
Office Depot announced Wednesday it is closing 17 Illinois stores - a handful in the north and western suburbs - as part of an effort to cut costs.
Locally, stores in Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Niles, Skokie and Round Lake Beach will be closed within three months, Office Depot officials said.
Officials said those stores employ about 20 people each.
Inn addition, Office Depot Inc. announced it will close about 9 percent of its North American stores and cut 2,200 jobs. The chain will also close six of its 33 North American distribution facilities.
Frank's Nursery shuttered in that location about five years ago, Kilbane said, and was replaced by Office Depot less than two years ago.
But, noted franchises Starbucks Coffee, Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, Little Caesars Pizza, Chase Bank, and Home Depot have all opened in strip malls or free-standing buildings near the lot.
Also, Route 83 itself in Round Lake Beach picked up a boost when construction on a Wal-Mart Supercenter started three weeks ago one-quarter mile north of Office Depot.
"We also have plans to open a discount tire store at that location, so I'm not sure why it seems stores have a problem there," he said. "But, honestly, in my opinion, this latest closing is more of a sign of the times than the location. This is the economy."