Dover Mall has temporarily closed as anchor stores shut down nationwide. The closing became effective Wednesday night and will continue until late in the month.
Anchor stores at Christiana, Concord and Dover Malls are temporarily closing their locations in response to the spread of coronavirus.
Christiana Mall and Concord Mall remain open with reduced operating hours. Many interior stores in the malls, as well as the food court, are closed.
Boscov’s was the latest fashion department store to announce temporary store closings. The family-owned company is based Reading, PA and has stores at Concord and Dover Malls as well as the Christiana Town Center near the mall.
“We have elected to temporarily close all 49 stores and offices except for a few critical areas important for the continuance of the corporation until the end of March. We will continue to update you on Boscovs.com as we have new information,” said Jim Boscov, CEO.
Earlier, Macy’s, Nordstrom and JC Penney announced the temporary closing of all stores.
Kohl’s, which operates fashion department stores in northern Delaware and Dover, announced it will close all of its stores until at least early April.
All retailers reported sharp declines in business before any closing orders were announced. Delaware has not ordered any such closings,
The closings mean that Christiana Mall has Target as its only open anchor store.
Concord Mall will lose its third anchor with the permanent closing of the Sears store.
The future of fashion department stores remains cloudy, with analysts suggesting that Penney and Macy’s are vulnerable. Nordstrom says its financial results and online business put it in a stronger position.
Privately held Boscov’s does not disclose financial results, although its CEO did express confidence in the future. Boscov’s weathered a financial storm in the 2008-2009 downturn.
The late Albert Boscov credited with saving the company after stepping as CEO following an ill-advised expansion.
