The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — With longtime customers barely having time to put away their Christmas gifts, two major area retailers announced plans to close for good Wednesday, as the Ohio Valley Mall will lose Kmart, while the Fort Steuben Mall will watch Macy’s leave.
Officials with both companies cited changing shopping patterns and market conditions as major reasons to abandon the local malls. Kmart began anchoring the north end of the Ohio Valley Mall in 1983 when Montgomery Ward forfeited the position, which that firm had occupied from the time the retail center opened in 1979.
The Macy’s at the Fort Steuben Mall, meanwhile, served as Kaufmann’s for most of its life at the Steubenville mall, which began in 1974. A corporate merger led to the store’s rebranding as a Macy’s in 2006.
“It’s a shame. Obviously, you feel sorry for the workers,” said Joe Bell, who serves as a spokesman for the Cafaro Co., which owns the mall in St. Clairsville.
Since 2005, Kmart and Sears (which remains as an original anchor at the south end of the Ohio Valley Mall) have operated under the same corporate entity: Sears Holdings Corp. Last month, the company announced the pending closure of its free-standing Weirton Kmart, while the firm had already abandoned Steubenville by closing the Sears at the mall, in addition to a nearby Kmart.
“Many of these stores have struggled with their financial performance for years and we have kept them open to maintain local jobs and in the hopes that they would turn around,” a Wednesday statement from Sears Holdings reads.
“Eligible associates impacted by these store closures will receive severance and will have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Kmart or Sears stores,” the statement concludes, adding the closure should be complete by the end of March.
Bell said he was not sure how many employees worked at the St. Clairsville Kmart. However, even Wednesday, the store actually featured a window sign indicating efforts to hire new workers.
“Sears Holdings Corp. has been struggling. Knowing what everybody knows about Kmart and Sears, we have been talking with several parties for a possible replacement,”Bell said, though he declined to identify any of these potential tenants.
“Being right next to Interstate 70, as well as the new connector road (to the Ohio Valley Plaza), makes it seem like a prime piece of real estate,” Bell said of the Kmart space. “We don’t expect it to be vacant very long.”
Meanwhile, the Ohio Valley Mall’s Macy’s is set to become the only one on the roads between Pittsburgh and Columbus now, as the company announced plans to close its locations at the Washington Crown Center in Washington, Pa. and at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, Pa., in addition to the Steubenville store.
“Macy’s is in a very different situation than Sears and Kmart. They have been working to get out from under some of their expenses,” Bell said. “Needless to say, we are very glad that they are there. They are an outstanding brand.”
A spokeswoman at Fort Steuben Mall declined to comment on Macy’s status at the mall Wednesday.
“… We continue to experience declining traffic in our stores where the majority of our business is still transacted,” Macy’s Chairman and CEO Terry J. Lundgren said in a Wednesday statement.
“We are closing locations that are unproductive or are no longer robust shopping destinations due to changes in the local retail shopping landscape, as well as monetizing locations with highly valued real estate,” Lundgren said. “These are never easy decisions, and we are committed to treating associates affected by these closings with respect and transparency.”
According to Macy’s, the job losses will be 59 at Steubenville, 67 at Washington and 78 at Monaca.
After Macy’s leaves, the only anchor store left in the Steubenville mall will be J.C. Penney, a company which actually sold its Texas headquarters for $353 million just this week as part of efforts to “reduce outstanding debt.”
“This is not encouraging news because it will raise questions about the stability of the Fort Steuben Mall,” Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci said Wednesday.
“I know the Jefferson County Port Authority is aggressively marketing the mall and we must now analyze this latest news as we move forward and support the Port Authority in its efforts. The closing of the Macy’s store will put a greater focus on the economic needs of our community. We will need to assess the impact on the city and act accordingly,” Mucci added.
Staff writer Dave Gossett contributed to this report.
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