Robinsons-May to closin Thousand Oaks

ROBINSONS-MAY TO CLOSE—Cheryl Lahey walks out of the Robinsons-May store at The Oaks mall. The store at the south end of The Oaks will soon be closing its doors as the new owner, Federated Department Stores, consolidates its operations under the Macy’s name. BILL SPARKES Acorn Newspapers One of the four major department stores in The Oaks shopping center is among the 68 Robinsons-May locations that will close and be put up for sale next year, Federated Department Store officials announced last week.

The Robinsons-May home and men’s store, located at the south end of the Thousand Oaks center, will close as part of the merger between its parent company, The May Department Stores Company, and Federated, which owns Macy’s stores. Currently the center has two Robinsons-May and two Macy’s stores.

Depending on how negotiations proceed with the landlord, developers and/or third-parties interested in the site, the Thousand Oaks Robinsons-May store could close sometime in 2006, said Jim Sluzewski, a spokesman for Federated.

The merger, which will give Federated 730 stores nationwide, was approved by shareholders of both companies recently and is expected to be finalized later this year after federal regulators give their approval.

In addition to the nationwide closure of 68 stores, more than 300 other stores under The May Company’s umbrella will be changed to the Macy’s nameplate, including the remaining RobinsonsMay store, on north end of The Oaks. The move will mean three Macy’s department stores at one location, making the shopping center unique. Sluzewski said plans haven’t yet been finalized regarding what merchandise each store will then carry.

A spokesman for Macerich Co., which owns The Oaks, had no comment on the store’s closure except to say the company is always working to upgrade the center and expects to issue a comment later on.

Gary Wartik, economic development manager with the city of Thousand Oaks, said the two Robinsons-May stores have consistently been among the city’s top 15 sales-tax producers.

It’s too early to say how the city will be affected by the closure, Wartik said, adding, “We’ll just have to see how the various companies work out the situation.”

Sluzewski said employees of the affected Thousand Oaks Robinsons-May store will be offered a job in another store in the shopping center or at another location.

“We think there will be few if any layoffs involved in this process,” he said.

To the north, where construction continues on the 600,000square-foot Simi Valley Town Center mall, Federated and city officials expect both a RobinsonsMay and a Macy’s to open on Oct. 27 along with the mall’s other stores.

“We intend to fulfill all of our obligations,” said Sluzewski of both anchor stores, although he said it’s currently unclear what will happen afterward.

Contractually, both stores are obligated to operate for the next 10 years, said Brian Gabler, Simi Valley’s economic development director. “We don’t foresee those stores closing.”

The Robinsons-May store in Ventura’s Pacific View mall is slated for closure next year as well.