Kohl's Kaput in Three Local Communities

Typical look of a non-mall-based Kohl's 

Department store details store closures

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Kohl's announced Wednesday the eighteen "underperforming" stores it plans to close in the coming months.  Of the eighteen, three will close in metro Atlanta.  The closures will leave the chain with 31 locations in Georgia, none inside the perimeter.  

Georgia was the second worst hit state.  Nine closures are planned for California and two in Florida.  

The affected stores are in Roswell, at 2342 Holcomb Bridge Road, in Lithonia at 2929 Turner Hill Road (The Mall at Stonecrest), and in Tucker at 4820 Briarcliff Road (Northlake Mall.) 

The Roswell and Tucker locations are expected to close by June 19th, the Lithonia location will close November 1, 2016. 

The Kohl's in Roswell anchors Centennial Village where Kroger is also an anchor.  While I have no reason to believe discussions are already underway, I think its within reason to suspect Kroger may have interest in the Kohl's space.  Kroger currently occupies a nearly 56,000 square foot space while the Kohl's space is nearly 87,000 square feet.  The expansion, if it were to occur, would not  necessarily make the Kroger a "Marketplace" store, but would allow the grocer to offer a wider selection of merchandise. 

A Kroger Marketplace is typically at least 113,000 square feet while some stores of at least 100,000 or so square feet are known as "Kroger Bountiful."

The 100,000 square foot, two-level Kohl's at Northlake Mall, opened in early 2008 in place of Parisian. (Parisian  was purchased by Belk with Belk opting not to operate the store under its banner.)  The store was not originally part of the mall and was added to the mall in the early 90s, joining existing anchors Sears, JC Penney, and Davison's, now Macy's.  

As ToNeTo Atlanta readers will recall, Northlake Mall was sold to new owners early last month who see "tremendous potential" in the property.  It's unclear if this closure is good or bad for the new owners, but does give them the imminent possibility of reconcepting or possibly revamping the entire space to make better use of it.  

The two level Kohl's store at The Mall at Stonecrest opened in 2007 in what was also originally built as a Parisian in 2001. (I was unable to find the exact square footage but I believe it's of similar size to the Northlake location.)  I'm personally far less familiar with the possibilities at Stonecrest as I've only visited the mall a few times, years ago.  It's highly unlikely the entire anchor space would be filled by a new department store anchor with most such stores reducing their nationwide store operations.  Near The Mall at Stonecrest, Target closed their nearly 125,000 square foot store on Mall Parkway in early 2015: it remains vacant.  

The other fifteen Kohl's slated for closure are:

Arcadia, CA–7279 N. Rosemead Blvd., San Gabriel, California

Cypress, CA–10201 Valley View St., Cypress, California

Ladera Ranch, CA–27426 Antonio Parkway, Ladera Ranch, California 

Mira Mesa, CA–8140 Mira Mesa Blvd., San Diego, California

Rancho Cordova, CA–11051 Olson Drive, Rancho Cordova, California

Santa Ana, CA–1351 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, California

San Jose East, CA–2323 McKee Road, San Jose, California

Upland South, CA–233 S. Mountain Ave., Upland, California 

West Hills, CA–6651 N. Fallbrook Ave., West Hills, California

Hialeah, FL–700 W. 49th St., Hialeah, Florida

Tallahassee, FL–6785 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida

Saint Charles, IL–3840 E. Main St., Saint Charles,Illinois

Pineville, NC–9579 S. Blvd., Charlotte, North Carolina

Princeton, NJ–200 Nassau Park Blvd., Princeton, New Jersey

Brown Deer, WI–9060 N. Green Bay Road, Brown Deer, Wisconsin

The release announcing the store closures also noted that "every eligible store associate will be offered the opportunity to work at a nearby Kohl’s or, if they choose, can accept a competitive severance package. On average, Kohl’s stores employ approximately 80-100 associates."

In addition to the store closures, the company noted that they plan to "pilot seven new smaller format Kohl’s stores in various regions around the country" and add two additional Off/Aisle pilot stores in Wisconsin. (Off/Aisle stores are stocked with  customer product returns from Kohl’s stores and its e-commerce business.) Kohl's also plans to open 12 Fila outlet stores, "marking Kohl’s first entry into the outlet space." 

Are you a fan of Kohl's? What would you like to see open in each closing Kohl's store?  What is your favorite department store?

Please share your thoughts below.