Retail Roundup: What’s opening, closing in Springfield?

Springfield’s brick-and-mortar retail scene is undergoing myriad changes as the industry struggles with closures nationwide.

National retailers CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS), Payless ShoeSource Inc., Charlotte Russe, Gymboree Group Inc. and J. C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) are among those shuttering stores in the Queen City.

The CVS Pharmacy at 1735 S. Glenstone Ave. is slated to close April 1, according to signage on the door and an employee working in the store on Sunday. Customers are being referred to the CVS at 1153 E. Elm St., where their prescriptions are being transferred.

Officials with CVS could not be reached for comment by deadline on what’s reportedly the company’s largest store in the world. The 74,500-square-foot building sits on over 7 acres, according to Greene County assessor records.

In Battlefield Mall, 2825 S. Glenstone Ave., several stores are exiting.

Payless, Charlotte Russe and Gymboree are currently holding liquidation sales, Springfield Business Journal has observed.

Payless last month announced its second bankruptcy filing in as many years, along with plans to shut down all of its 2,500 North American stores by the end of March.

Gymboree in January also announced its second bankruptcy filing in as many years. The children’s apparel chain signaled plans to shut the doors at its 900 stores, which also include Crazy 8 and Janie and Jack shops.

It’s a similar story with Charlotte Russe, which entered bankruptcy proceedings in February and announced it would close 94 of its 500 stores. Charlotte Russe officials later said the company would shutter all of the stores after failing to secure a buyer.

SBJ previously reported Plano, Texas-based J. C. Penney this fall would close its Home Store at 3402 S. Glenstone Ave. in Primrose Marketplace. It’s among 27 stores scheduled to cease doing business nationwide.

But it’s not all closures in Springfield.

Gordmans, which spared its Springfield store in a 2017 bankruptcy filing, set an opening date for its new location at the former Toys R Us. The toy store at 1425 E. Battlefield Road in Morris Corners closed alongside all of the other Toys R Us locations in June 2018.

Replacing its store at 3303 S. Campbell Ave., the new Gordmans is scheduled to open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 21, according to a news release.

The 67-store chain is opening 38 new Gordmans locations this month, officials with owner Stage Stores Inc. say.

To celebrate the Springfield opening, Gordmans is donating $1,000 to Kickapoo High School, according to the release.

A Gordmans spokesperson did not respond to a request for more details on the store move. The retailer currently operates in property owned by Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), according to Greene County assessor records.

At Battlefield Mall, new construction is underway as a stark contrast to the closings of Payless, Charlotte Russe and Gymboree.

Amid the construction work, Bath & Body Works is currently closed off. Signage indicates the store is reopening in May, and in the meantime, it’s operating in a temporary location next to Banana Republic and Five Guys.

On the Glenstone-facing side of the mall, construction is underway on a building that will house a Pizza Ranch and other tenants, SBJ previously reported. A building that previously housed Ethan Allen was demolished to make way for the project, which has an estimated cost of $2 million, per a city building permit. Renovation of the mall’s food court — an estimated $480,616 project — is underway. Part of the area is currently closed off.

Another store inside the mall, Victoria’s Secret, has been spared from closure, according to a store employee. Parent company L Brands announced it would shut down 53 stores earlier this month.

Other national retailers, including Gap Inc., Foot Locker Inc., Dollar Tree Inc. (Nasdaq: DLTR) and Chico’s, have announced plans to shutter hundreds of stores but have not yet publicly named the locations.

Gap operates a store in Branson, as well as an Old Navy at Battlefield Mall and in Branson. Foot Locker and Chico’s also have stores in Battlefield Mall, and Dollar Tree’s Family Dollar brand has three locations in Springfield, according to the company websites.