Old Navy to shutter its Charleston site
Another retailer will shutter a store in Charleston at month's end.
Old Navy will close its 15,000-square-foot store at Citadel Mall when its lease expires at the end of January, Leigh Burnett, the shopping center's marketing director, said Monday.
The move will not affect the San Francisco-based clothing chain's other three locations at Mount Pleasant Towne Centre, Tanger Outlet Mall and Northwoods Market Place in North Charleston, according to store managers at each location.
Catherine Rhoades, assistant communications specialist for Gap Inc., which owns the Old Navy brand, did not give the specific reason for the closing but cited sales performance, the lease expiration and the number of other locations in the area among the factors.
"We are constantly evaluating our fleet of stores," she said.
Gap Inc. reported sales at Old Navy were down 16 percent in December. For all of the company's stores, including Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, sales tumbled 14 percent last month.
Rhoades declined to give the specific number of employees affected at the Citadel Mall location, but the stores generally have 40 to 50 employees, according to a store official at another location in Charleston.
"We work with employees to place them in another location if possible," Rhoades said.
Old Navy has been at Citadel Mall since 1998, Burnett said. The space has not been leased to another party, but mall officials are looking for another tenant, she said.
The Old Navy closing follows the local closings of other big retailers, including Linens 'n Things, Tweeter and KB Toys.
About 160,000 stores closed nationwide last year and 200,000 more could shutter in 2009 following the dismal holiday shopping season, said Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. That would be the retail industry's biggest contraction in 35 years.
Reach Warren Wise at 937-5524 or wwise@postandcourier.com.
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