Nine Retailers That May Be Closing Illinois Stores In 2017

Though the unemployment rate in Illinois has steadily decreased in recent months — holding at 5.3 percent in November, compared with 5.8 percent a year earlier, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security — news of potential closures by some retailers may slow job growth. There are at least nine national outlets who plan to close a number of stores in Illinois and elsewhere.

Some are large-box retailers that suffered poorer than expected holiday sales. But most are the smaller stores you usually see in the mall — and all of them have locations in some of the state's largest shopping centers, employing hundreds of people.

Here are the retailers that have announced closures in 2017 so far. Which stores would you miss the most? Tell us in the comments below!

• Sears/Kmart: Sears, which owns the chain, will close 150 Kmart and Sears stores by the spring, part of a "difficult but necessary step as we take actions to strengthen the company’s operations and fund its transformation," the company said in a statement. Some Illinois Kmart locations have already closed, and stores in Alton and Granite City were set to begin liquidation earlier this month, according to the company. View a full list of Sears and Kmart closings here.
• Macy's: Macy's recently announced the closing of three of its Illinois department stores. The locations are among 68 Macy's stores across the country that will be shuttered in order to save money, reinvest it in e-commerce and give a smaller number of stores a better customer experience, the company said in an announcement.
• CVS: CVS reportedly plans to close 70 stores early this year. Overall, the company plans to eliminate roughly 300 jobs and close 200 stores, equal to about 5 percent of its outlets, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• The Limited: The company said it will close all its stores this month while continuing to operate online only after the closures. The chain operated about 250 retail stores in 2016 and said about 4,000 jobs, including seasonal and temporary ones, would be lost.
• Chico's: The company will close 120 "underperforming" stores in the next three years and open 40 stores this year, the company announced recently. The company hasn't said which stores will close.
• American Eagle Outfitters: The company used to sell the "quintessential sweatshirts of the suburban American teenager," according to The International Business Times. Now it's going to close 150 of its more than 1,000 stores by the end of 2017. The list of stores has yet to be released.
• Finish Line: Finish Line closed 54 stores in fiscal 2016, including 26 in the fourth quarter. The retailer plans to close about 25 stores in fiscal 2017, according to indystar.com. The store locations were not announced yet.
• The Children's Place: The New Jersey-based chain accelerated its store-closing plans recently to 200 stores through 2017 — including the 76 stores closed in 2013 and 2014 — up from its previous announced target of 125 stores through 2016, according to chainstorage.com. No word on the fate of Illinois stores just yet.
• Office Depot: Office Depot, which scrapped a plan to merge with Staples in May on antitrust concerns, said it would close about 300 more stores in the next three years, according to Fortune. The chain has not announced which Illinois stores, if any, could close.

– By Tom Davis (Patch Staff) / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone