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Southern Park Mall Dillard’s to close May 14
BOARDMAN
While the Dillard’s department store at Southern Park Mall will be closing its doors May 14, the company’s clearance center in Eastwood Mall in Niles will remain open.
Employees of the Dillard’s store in Boardman were informed of the closure at a Wednesday meeting. The company announced the closure of the store, which has operated since 1995, with a three-sentence statement.
The closure comes less than a year after Southern Park Mall’s Sears department store shut its doors.
Joe Bell, the corporate communication director for Cafaro Co., which owns Eastwood Mall, said customers in the Valley can find the same quality Dillard’s items at discounted prices at the Niles Dillard’s outlet.
“Dillard’s has recognized the Eastwood Mall has become the focal point for retail in the Mahoning Valley ... so they will continue to operate the clearance center,” he said.
The Dillard's department store in Eastwood Mall was converted to a clearance center in 2016.
Julie Bull, Dillard’s corporate spokeswoman, said Dillard’s operates 26 clearance centers that receive merchandise from the company’s 265 full-line locations.
“Our primary focus remains on providing premium service experiences in our 265 full-line locations,” she said.
The Boardman Dillard’s opened at Southern Park Mall in winter 1995, and a department store at Eastwood Mall followed in fall 1996, according to Vindicator archives.
Dillard’s operates 14 locations in Ohio, including the Southern Park Mall location. The store sells merchandise including clothes, shoes and accessories.
Southern Park Mall is owned by the Washington Prime Group in Columbus, which owns 110 malls and shopping plazas across the country.
The Vindicator’s attempts to reach Southern Park Mall and Washington Prime Group officials were unsuccessful.