Carson's Parent Company Releases Statement After Abrupt Shuttering of Suburban Location

A suburban Carson’s location that abruptly closed over the weekend will work with employees to help find them new “permanent position assignments,” the company said Monday.

Associates were notified of the Matteson location closing Sunday morning and will be given temporary positions at other nearby locations if they are in good standing. The company will then work to find the employees permanent positions.

“In January, we announced the closing of 42 stores to enable Bon-Ton to move forward with a more productive store footprint as part of its comprehensive turnaround plan,” a spokesperson for parent company Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. said in a statement. “After further analysis, and with the assistance of our real estate team and financial advisors, we have made the difficult decision to close our Matteson store location, effective Sunday, March 4. Ongoing decisions regarding our store portfolio will continue to be made based on what is in the best interests of the Company, just as they always have.”

Carson’s has been a fixture in Matteson for more than 40 years, but as employees and customers showed up to the store, they were greeted with signs saying the store was closed.

“Being a good corporate citizen means taking care of your people,” State Senator Michael Hastings said. “Rolling into town at 7 a.m. and informing everyone that they’re going to be let go is not being a good corporate citizen.”

A Carson’s department store in Matteson closed abruptly on Sunday, leaving officials furious and employees out of work. NBC 5’s Chris Hush has the details. 

In a letter to employees, the company explained that it was a “difficult” decision to close the location.

“After further analysis of our Matteson store with our assistance of our real estate team and financial advisors, senior management made the difficult decision to close the location,” the company said.

Carson’s had announced dozens of closures last year, but the Matteson location was not on the list of impacted stores.

According to village officials, the closure of the store will cost the area around $800,000 in revenue. 

Toys R Us is beginning liquidation sales in Matteson, the third retailer to close in the village this year. NBC 5’s Lauren Petty has more.

Sunday’s announcement came as a shock to customers and village officials, who criticized the company for closing on such short notice.

“I am very concerned about the lack of notification to our village administration,” Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin said.

Employees were told that they could apply or be transferred to other nearby stores, with the closest locations in Hammond, Indiana and in Orland Park.

The Carson’s closing is just the latest retail blow to the city, as the Toys R Us location in town will also be closing this year.

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