Dillard’s Closing Virginia Department Store

Dillard’s (Little Rock, Ark.) has announced the upcoming closure of its MacArthur Center location in Norfolk, Va. The 240,000-square-foot store is slated to close in September.

The company made that disclosure in its second quarter financial results for the year, during which it reported a total retail sales decrease of 3 percent, a comparable store sales decline of 3 percent and a net income of $131.5 million, down from $163.4 million a year earlier.

The company “noted continuing consumer caution, particularly in the first few weeks of the second quarter. Cosmetics was the strongest performing category followed by home and furniture. Ladies’ accessories and lingerie, ladies’ apparel and shoes were the weakest categories.”

This closure in Virginia is the fourth disclosed by Dillard’s this year; in its first quarter results released in February, the retailer said it was closing the following stores:

* Santa Rosa Mall, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., 115,000 square feet
* Conestoga Mall, Grand Island, Neb., 80,000 square feet
* Metrocenter Mall, Phoenix, Ariz. 90,000 square feet

On the other side of the coin, Dillard’s plans to open in a 140,000-square-foot store in The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, S.D., next spring.

The retailer currently operates 274 Dillard’s stores, including 27 clearance centers, in 29 states.