Macy's to close Simi Valley store
Macy's has decided to close its Simi Valley location, which is among five stores being shuttered around the country, including another in California.
The local Macy's, at 1475 Simi Town Center Way, anchors the Simi Valley Town Center.
The closures, along with plans to lay off about 2,350 people, or 3.5% of the department store chain's overall workforce, were initially reported by the Wall Street Journal.
A closure date for the Simi Valley site wasn't provided in a statement to The Star from a Macy's spokeswoman, who said the decision was made after careful consideration.
"At Macy’s, we continue to reposition our store fleet to better meet the needs of our customers in each of our markets," said the spokesperson, who declined to provide her name.
Macy's employees were previously informed, she said, and severance benefits will be available for eligible workers. Employees might be considered for jobs at other Macy's stores.
"The decision to close a store is always a difficult one, but Macy’s is grateful to have served our customers and the community at Simi Valley Town Center," the spokeswoman's statement said.
The Simi store opened in 2005 at the same time as the rest of the mall. Macy's continues to operate stores at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks and the Pacific View shopping center in Ventura.
Elsewhere, Macy's is closing stores in the Bay Area city of San Leandro as well as in Lihue, Hawaii, Arlington, Virginia and Tallahassee, Florida.
Local officials said they weren't surprised by the Simi Valley store's closure.
"It came as a disappointment to me," said City Councilmember Elaine Litster. "I was very hopeful they would stay in that spot and possibly retool themselves so they could continue to anchor the town center."
Litster has talked with a representative of a company interested in the space at both the current Macy's store a vacant former Macy's space at the same mall, she said.
The Macy's closures reflect the challenges of surviving the online age, said John Tolson, membership and business development director at the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.
He said the chamber promotes local businesses by stressing advantages for consumers. People buying locally can see a tangible product right in front of them, as opposed to a photo on a computer or phone, Tolson said.
"And local business owners give back to the community," he added.
The general manager of the Simi Valley Town Center couldn't be reached for comment Friday.
Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Macy's to close Simi Valley store
