Bloomingdale’s home store to close in Oak Brook, new Macy’s to open in Gurnee

Cincinnati-based Macy’s Inc. Wednesday said it will close its Bloomingdale’s Home & Furniture store in Oakbrook Center and open a new Macy’s in Gurnee next year.

The announcement was part of a list of closures and openings nationwide to streamline its operations, the company said in a release. A company spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment on how many local workers would be affected in Oak Brook.

The Daily Herald recently reported that Macy’s planned to open the new 140,000-square-foot store in Gurnee Mills. It’s expected to employ about 200 workers and open in the spring of 2013.

“We continue to be committed to maintaining a healthy portfolio of stores that allows us to focus on growth from our best and most productive locations,” Macy’s CEO Terry J. Lundgren said in a statement. “This requires us to make some difficult decisions to close stores that no longer meet our performance requirements, as well as to open stores where we see opportunity.”

Associates displaced by store closings, such as in Oak Brook, may be offered positions in nearby stores where possible. Regular full-time and part-time associates who are laid off due to the store closings will be provided severance benefits, the company said.

In conjunction with these store closings, an estimated $25 million to $30 million of costs will be posted in the fourth quarter of 2011. These costs were not included in previous earnings guidance provided by the company.

Other Macy’s to close are in Kansas, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, with new stores opening in California, New York, Utah and Wisconsin. Bloomingdale’s will close stores in Georgia, Maryland and Minnesota, while opening others in California. Also five new Bloomingdale’s Outlet stores will open in California, New Hampshire, New York, and two in Texas.