Macy's Inc. announced Jan. 9 it would be closing 66 stores nationwide, including the White Oaks Mall location. It is the only Illinois store slated for closure, although a St. Louis-area location is impacted as the Macy's in the South County Center is also on the list.
Macy's has been the only department store anchor remaining at the mall since Bergner's and Sears both closed in 2018. Macy's has had a presence at White Oaks Mall since the company acquired Famous-Barr in 2006.
The company announced what it called its Bold New Chapter strategy in February 2024, "designed to return the company to sustainable, profitable sales growth while closing approximately 150 underproductive stores over a three-year period while investing in its 350 go-forward Macy's locations through fiscal 2026," according to a statement posted on the corporate website.
“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, 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,” said Tony Spring, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc. in the statement.
The family entertainment center Malibu Jack's backfilled the former Bergner's space, opening in 2023, and the state of Illinois purchased the vacant Sears building in 2020. Following extensive renovations, employees from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency began moving in this month.
