Kohl’s to Close Valley Store

Kohl’s Corp. has announced it will close 18 underperforming stores in the next quarter, one of which is in West Hills. The closures stem from the specialty department store’s push to drive future sales. The Menomonee Falls, Wis. retailer will close the underperforming stores as of June 19; they are in California, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey and Wisconsin. Nine of them are in California including its West Hills store at 6651 N. Fallbrook Ave. A store in Arcadia is the only other one in Los Angeles County. Roughly 80 to 100 store associates will be affected by the closure. Each employee will have the opportunity to receive a severance package or relocate to a close store, if eligible, according to the company. Kohl’s has 1,164 stores throughout the country in its existing portfolio; the closures represent less than one percent of its total sales. “While the decision to close stores is a difficult one, we evaluated all of the elements that contribute to making a store successful, and we were thoughtful and strategic in our approach. We are committed to leveraging our resources on our more productive assets,” Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chief executive said in a statement. The company also announced it will launch a smaller format of Kohl’s stores, seven of which will open throughout the country this year. In addition, the retailer is opening a dozen Fila outlet stores nationwide.