The new year brings with it change, especially so in the retail world. Here are some of the stores in central Ohio that either have closed or will be closing:
• The Andersons General Store, a popular Ohio-based retailer of groceries and hardware, announced Jan. 15 it is closing all four of its stores (at Brice Road, Sawmill Road, and two in the Toledo area) in the second quarter. The stores, which employ more than 1,000 people, have lost more than $20 million in the last eight years.
• Pittsburgh-based grocer Giant Eagle is closing three central Ohio stores in March: 777 Neil Avenue, 1000 East Dublin-Granville Road, and 1760 Hilliard-Rome Road (as well as the latter’s GetGo gas station). The latter two stores’ pharmacies closed Jan. 14. Employees from the closed stores may be reassigned to other locations.
• New Albany-headquartered clothier The Limited closed its remaining stores on Jan. 16, including Easton Town Center. At its peak, The Limited had 750 stores and more than $1 billion in sales. Founded by Les Wexner in 1963, The Limited was sold to Sun Capital Partners in 2007.
• Two central Ohio Macy’s will be closing during 2017: the store at Eastland in Columbus; and the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin.
• The Kmarts at 1500 Coshocton Avenue in Mount Vernon, and 1284 Brice Road in Reynoldsburg are among 108 stores in the chain that will close by April. In addition, the Sears in Chillicothe and Lancaster are among 42 stores closing this year, it was announced on Jan. 4. Sears and Kmart merged in 2004.
• It has been reported that JCPenney could be closing 30 percent of its stores in the next couple years. Industry analysts attribute the store closings to the growth in e-commerce. For example, Kroger has announced that customers can now place and pick up their online grocery orders on the same day at 16 central Ohio locations. The ClickList service was launched six months ago.
• The Mitchell’s Fish Market at 40 Hutchinson Avenue (off Route 23 above I-270) is closed. However, the seafood restaurant’s website indicates that the 1245 Olentangy River Road location is still open.
• On Jan. 4, the Arena District’s Studio Movie Grill closed after three years.
• The Montgomery Inn at 4565 West Dublin-Granville Road closed Jan. 2. The Cincinnati-based barbecue chain had operated in Dublin since 2009. Gift cards may be honored, redeemed and refunded. For more information, visit www.montgomeryinn.com or call 614-791-7427 or 513-791-1942.
