Kohl’s will close its Encinitas location by April, one of two to be shuttered in San Diego County and among 27 around the United States, the department store announced Jan. 9.
The closures come as the company attempts to stem the kinds of financial challenges faced by other department stores such as Sears and JCPenney, which ended up in bankruptcy.
In addition to Encinitas, a Kohl’s on Balboa Avenue in Clairemont Mesa will also close, according to a company news release. Of the 27 stores to close nationally, 10 are in California. The chain’s San Bernardino E-commerce Fulfillment Center will also close, in May, when its lease expires.
“We always take these decisions very seriously,” Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s chief executive officer, said in the news 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.”
Kingsbury is set to depart as CEO on Jan. 15 to be replaced by Ashley Buchanan, the current CEO of Michaels, Kohl’s announced in November. Michaels also has a location in Encinitas.
Encinitas Marketplace, the shopping that Kohl’s currently anchors, opened in 1981 as Wiegand Plaza, named for the longtime Olivenhain family. Its original anchor tenant was Alpha Beta supermarket followed by Lucky and Albertsons before Kohl’s occupied the space.
The 124,411-square-foot shopping center, which is also anchored by Lawrance Furniture, was sold for $43 million in January 2019.
