Macy’s and Kohl’s are preparing to shut down Bay Area department stores — and slash jobs — an ominous indicator that some retailers must navigate a forbidding economic landscape in 2025.
Kohl’s has posted plans to shut stores in five Bay Area cities while Macy’s has revealed its decision to shut two stores in the nine-county region.
Early details are starting to emerge for potential job cuts being planned by Kohl’s, according to official notices the retailer filed with the state Employment Development Department.
Kohl’s Bay Area store shutdown details:
— Fremont, 43782 Christy Street
— Mountain View, 350 Showers Drive
— Napa, 1116 1st Street
— Pleasanton, 4525 Rosewood Drive
— San Rafael – 5010 Northgate Drive
“Kohl’s announced plans to close 27 stores of its more than 1,150 locations,” Kohl’s stated in a web post. “The closures will occur by April 2025. “These specific locations were underperforming stores.”
Statewide, Kohl’s has decided to chop 929 jobs, according to the WARN notices the retailers filed with the California EDD.
These layoffs include 60 jobs that will be eliminated at the Kohl’s store in Pleasanton. The Pleasanton job cuts were scheduled to occur March 31, Kohl’s told the state EDD.
The largest number of Kohl’s job cuts were slated to occur in San Bernardino, where Kohl’s will slash 690 jobs due to the closure of an e-commerce and distribution hub in the Southern California city.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many jobs might be lost due to Kohl’s closures in Fremont, Mountain View, Napa and San Rafael.
“As we continue to build on our long-term growth strategy, it is important that we also take difficult but necessary actions to support the health and future of our business for our customers and our teams,” said Kohl’s chief executive officer Tom Kingsbury.
Macy’s Bay Area store shutdown details:
— NewPark Mall in Newark
— Village at Corte Madera, 1600 Redwood Highway in Corte Madera
Macy’s had yet to disclose how many jobs might be affected by the store closures in the Bay Area.
“Closing any store is never easy,” Macy’s chief executive officer Tony Spring said in a blog post. “We are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go–forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service.”
