Value city closing down stores. Big discounts on items

[mistral]

I'm not sure what the percentages are now but here in Mich there are at least 3 that I know of that are closing. Roseville,Warren and Livoina.

LIVONIA -- Discount retailer Value City announced it is closing more than half of its stores in Michigan by March, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed.

 

A spokeswoman for VCHI Acquisition of Columbus, Ohio, which acquired an 81 percent stake in the chain Jan. 23, confirmed the closings Sunday.

 

Stores in Roseville, Wyoming, Warren, Livonia and Saginaw are among 30 nationwide scheduled to close. The Westland, Taylor, Flint and Lansing stores will remain open, VCHI spokeswoman Robin Hepler said. She didn't know how many employees would be affected by the Michigan store closures, but said Value City has 8,600 employees nationwide.

 

Hepler said VCHI has decided to keep only those stores it feels can survive competition from other close-out retailers, like Marshalls and TJ Maxx.

 

 

In September, Burlington Coat Factory announced it would purchase 24 of the chain's 113 stores ; later it committed to buying only 12 locations, Hepler said. None of those locations are in Michigan.

 

Of the remaining stores, only 53 Value City locations are on the list of those that will stay open. The rest are in limbo, Hepler said. "Stores are moving from one list to the other each day," Hepler said.

 

On the corner of Middle Belt and Seven Mile on Sunday, a man in a coat hoisted a sign on a stick promising enormous discounts inside Value City at the Livonia Mall. Inside, shoppers poured through racks of deals, like a pair of beige Liz Claiborne pants, originally priced at $78, for $19.99. All sales were final.

 

 

In Livonia, employees either didn't know their store is closing or declined to talk about it.

 

Gail Pryor, 56, of Westland asked a cashier if the store was going out of business.

 

"All (the cashier) said was, 'We're under new management,' and then she held up her hands with her fingers crossed," Pryor said of the cashier. "You know they're closing it down."

 

Farmington retail consultant Fred Marx, a former retailer and partner in the marketing firm Marx Layne & Co., said the store closure might have more to do with the crowded retail market than with Michigan's sour economy.

 

"Value City is one of the weaker players in the segment that's already dominated with expansion by Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer and other players," Marx said. "Value City doesn't have the clout or the ability to have a strong enough footprint in this marketplace.

 

 

"It's still a market of 5 million people in southeast Michigan, stronger than some other states."

 

In Livonia, patrons said closing the Value City would likely spell the end of the Livonia Mall, which has slowly declined since the loss of anchor tenant Crowleys, which went out of business in the late 1990s. Mervyn's also closed its Livonia location, and the chain eventually left the Michigan market.

 

The only remaining anchor after March will be Sears.

 

"It's going -- there's hardly anything here anymore," said Barb Heckman, 61, of Redford Township. "Sears and Value City are the only things keeping it going.

 

"Our shopping options in this area are very limited. Now we'll have to go to Farmington or Westland to do our shopping."

 

 

Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey is looking on the brighter side. The city wants to see the mall torn down and redeveloped.

 

"I'm not concerned at all," Kirksey said. "This is very exciting."

[herculesmomma]

Txs for the post, I'm local to the area so it is of interest to me!

[kselzer]

The one on E. Main St. in Columbus, OH is closing too. I need to make it over there b/c I have a gift card to use up!

[klastar]

The 2 around me are closing..Eastpoint Mall and WestView in Baltimore, Maryland. They had on the news that Burlington Coat factory bought them out.

[bugsette]

3 in the Oh area... I believe one on the east side of Cleveland and cannot remember where the other 2 are

[dessenma]

Elyria Ohio is closing also. Things appear to be going rather quickly in some depts.

[grandma karen]

Greenwood, Indiana is closing as well.

[vsa3janes]

Wow! Those poor people that will be without jobs.

I haven't heard anything about our remaining store. In the last couple years they have closed all but one store in the StL area. I do know the selections have not been what they used to be. Not many name brand items and their prices aren't any cheaper than a good sale at one of the local dept stores.

[mom-99]

cumberland md closing too. last i heard ours was at 30% off. Yet another empty building in western md.

[lzaina]

The one in Boardman, Ohio is closing too. not sure of the rest.

[nick_jenni_jocelyn]

my grandma lives right down the road from the Roseville location(on martin road). she use to go there all the time.

[Shiloh59]

Greenwood, Indiana is closing as well.

Has anyone been to this store yet? Im curious if there are really any good deals there yet. The paper says up to 30% off and didnt think that was such a good deal yet. Im like everyone else tho, I think its terrible that they are putting so many people out of work. I thought all of these stores are usually packed. I know the Greenwood store is always busy. Would have thought the lafayette square store would be the one to close.

[pixiepoo]

I went 2 weeks ago when the ad in the paper came out. Ad said huge savings 10-30% off at bottom in small print it said all sales final. Bummed me right I knew that they were going out of business, next day it was on local channel 4 news.

 

So I went to Warren and Roseville locations and at Warren location the manager said the were going out of business so I proceeded to roseville and at checkout I was having a problem with a cashier and outfit not having all its pieces so i said look all sales are final and i do not need the missing piece she was like i can not sale it . I said you are going out of business and she said no were not I said have you seen the news she said and you believe everything the news says...she was very rude but anyway. I feel for them they know that they are going down and it stinks because I love Value city....oh well another kick to Michigan. Ok too much rambeling but she made me mad. Things we getting pretty picked over 2 weeks ago so hurry if you want to get some deals.

[cashandra]

The one in Lima, Ohio is closing too, but I was told it was because the whole mall that it is in is closing, not because of this.... hmmmm...... Thanks for the post!

[emeraldisles]

One in Northen KY closing also. Was there last week they are pretty picked over already. But discounts not too good on whats left.

[sbaldasare]

Value City in Mansfield OH is closing, too.

[mistral]

I went 2 weeks ago when the ad in the paper came out. Ad said huge savings 10-30% off at bottom in small print it said all sales final. Bummed me right I knew that they were going out of business, next day it was on local channel 4 news.

 

So I went to Warren and Roseville locations and at Warren location the manager said the were going out of business so I proceeded to roseville and at checkout I was having a problem with a cashier and outfit not having all its pieces so i said look all sales are final and i do not need the missing piece she was like i can not sale it . I said you are going out of business and she said no were not I said have you seen the news she said and you believe everything the news says...she was very rude but anyway. I feel for them they know that they are going down and it stinks because I love Value city....oh well another kick to Michigan. Ok too much rambeling but she made me mad. Things we getting pretty picked over 2 weeks ago so hurry if you want to get some deals.

At Roseville they are always rude. It has nothing to do with it closing. Just ask for a manager. Maybe that will work.

Linda

[angelschafer]

I am so sad to hear about the Greenwood, IN store is closing. I live less than a mile from there. I shopped there the first weekend that they advertised a big sale. Everything was on sale, and they were reasonably discounted.

[sunni0913]

Collinsville,IL store is closing. We went last week and it was already missing alot of stuff. The Alton, IL store is staying open though.

[christib327]

The one in Lima, Ohio is closing too, but I was told it was because the whole mall that it is in is closing, not because of this.... hmmmm...... Thanks for the post!

I heard the one in Lima is closing but I didn't realize the whole mall was! I'll be bummed. I love BW3 and Andersons! Well, I guess there's not really a whole lot more in that mall other than those 2 and Value City anymore is there?

Do you know what percentage off the one is Lima is now?

[Trishy]

Only one in Md. is staying open. It was in Annapolis, I believe. Ours in Frederick is one that closing so I'll have to start checking it. It's on the way home from work for me. I'll let you know if any really good sales come up.

[ajburlingame]

Greenville, IL store and Collinsville, IL store are closing and the Swansea, IL store and Alton, IL will remain open. I am hoping to make it to the Greenville, IL store this weekend to check and see if there are any good deals to be had.

[vsa3janes]

I stopped by the LemayFerry store in StL and it is closing. The clerk told me there were a few in our area staying open but they are at least 40 miles from me.

Found a couple deals a womens suit, wool houndstooth jacket & dress reg $49 clearance $15, a cute little baby sleeper reg $9.99 clearance $5, black leather slides reg $29.99 clearance $15.

The store had alot of empty space. You could thell they had moved alot to another location.

The women working there said it is day to day for them. They don't know when they are closing.

[katiesmommy01]

Our are closing too (DE AND PA ones), the DE one is becoming a Burlington. Even towards the end (the DE closed beginning of FEB) the deals weren't so great at all...eh, i wont miss the place.

[cokemeyer]

I used to really love Value City as I lived by the Eastpoint Mall one that klastar mentioned, but I guess it just had it's day for me a long time ago. Newer discount chains have become just as good for finding deals for me, and the employees are usually nicer and less stressed out... I did hear that the Furniture division was not going out of business though - is that true nationwide? It is still nice to have a place for furniture deals around...

[gezzmom70]

I used to really love Value City as I lived by the Eastpoint Mall one that klastar mentioned, but I guess it just had it's day for me a long time ago. Newer discount chains have become just as good for finding deals for me, and the employees are usually nicer and less stressed out...I did hear that the Furniture division was not going out of business though - is that true nationwide? It is still nice to have a place for furniture deals around...

I know what you mean about their employees. Most of them act like you're bothering them anyway. Still, I'll miss their shoe section (although I think DSW is owned by the same company, I don't remember DSW selling shoes for kids). I hope the furniture stores don't go out of business. I usually find good deals there too.

[joshsmommy642]

I live in Virginia, how would I find out if my local store is closing?

[JennyWLS]

The one in Grand Rapids, MI is closing as well

[annelay6]

yes the one in cincinnati just closed and one in kentucky is closing i went to one in cincinnati and i got 3 pair of nike flip flops 3 pair of reebok flip flops 2 pair skecher boots 4 more pair flip flops pink, blue, tan angel capris, bengals sweatshirt ,bengals t shirt ,2 nautica shirts, 2 disney princess shirts, 1 bobby jack shirt 1 pair of world industries gym shoes devil pepper, 4 bottles herbal essence hairspray 1 levis shirt for baby girl my total was $101.xxx almost 102 it was the last day for the store to be open so they didnt care what price was on it they would just ring it up price tag or not

[elena_398]

Wonder if the one closest to me is closing... canton, Ohio?? Is there a complete list or do I have to go by the store to check it out?