Struggling Kohl’s department store chain will close this Boise-area store. What we know
Kohl’s plans to close a number of “underperforming” stores in the next few months, including one in Boise.
The department store chain has been grappling with a continued downturn in sales and announced Thursday that it would shutter 27 locations by April, according to a news release.
Among the stores slated to close is the Kohl’s at 400 N. Milwaukee St., an anchor at the Boise Towne Square mall.
One other anchor space at the mall already sits empty, formerly occupied by Sears, which closed its Towne Square store in 2019 as shopping mall revenue dropped off, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. A developer’s 2021 proposal to raze the Sears building — which has a different owner than the rest of the mall — and replace it with apartments went nowhere, and the property is still listed for sale or lease.
Kohl’s has over 1,150 locations. The company is closing the underperforming stores in a bid to stave off the fate of some of its peers, like Sears, JCPenney and Bed Bath & Beyond, which all struggled for years before filing for bankruptcy, Axios reported.
The company also plans to close an e-commerce fulfillment center it operates in southern California in May, when its lease on the building expires.
All affected employees have been informed of the closures and have been offered a severance package or the ability to apply for other open positions at the company, Kohl’s said in the news release.
“We always take these decisions very seriously,” CEO Tom Kingsbury said in the release. “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.”
Kohl’s has two other stores in the Treasure Valley, at 3275 N. Eagle Road in Meridian and at 16566 N. Marketplace Blvd. in Nampa, according to its store locator. Those stores are not affected by the closures.
Kohl’s also has stores in Twin Falls, Coeur d’Alene, and Ammon near Idaho Falls.
The Boise Towne Square store opened in 2011 in a space previously occupied by a Mervyn’s department store that closed in 2008 after Mervyn’s filed for bankruptcy.
Business and Local Government Editor David Staats contributed.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:42 PM.
