The end of an era: Younkers announces store closures across Iowa
Iowa Workforce Development documents indicate seven Iowa Younkers stores plan to close.
Bon-Ton, Younkers' bankrupt owner, notified Workforce Development of planned store closings at Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines and Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines.
Closings are also planned for Younkers stores in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Dubuque, Mason City and Sioux City.
Workforce Development documents indicate the layoffs are expected to take place June 5.
Younkers in West Des Moines employs 108 people. The store at Merle Hay Mall employs 84.
There is no notice from Younkers indicating that stores at Valley West Mall or at Southridge Mall will close for now.
Shoppers at Merle Hay Mall said they were shocked to learn Tuesday that Younkers stores across the state will close.
“I just think it's a landmark for Des Moines,” Merle Hay Mall shopper Bunny Steinmetz said. “It's going to be kind of sad, like when they closed the downtown store.”
“The name itself, and losing that in this community, is a big loss,” shopper Jim Mitchell said.
Kristi Judkins, with Iowa Work Force Development, received the notification from Bon-Ton.
Judkins said her agency is set up to help Iowans who may lose their jobs due to the closures.
“They're Iowans, and we wanna make sure that we’re getting them back to work as quickly as possible and making sure that they know all the available resources and services that they have access to,” she said.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said he hopes another company might come to the rescue and buy Bon Ton, but it appears the only buyers now are liquidators.
“Let’s hope they don't just liquidate and board the place up, and that’s the end of it,” Cownie said. “That would not be good.”
Bon-Ton, owners of Younkers, announced in January that it planned to close 42 locations as part of its “store rationalization program.”
In a statement, the company said it plans to close a total of 47 locations at the start 2018.