The Dillard\u2019s in Murfreesboro will be closing by the end of January, according to a letter from a company official to Mayor Shane McFarland.<\/p>\n
The closure will be permanent and no other Dillard\u2019s locations are slated to close, a company representative said.<\/p>\n
Christmas shoppers in Murfreesboro will get their final chance to purchase presents in person and shop at their leisure ahead of the store\u2019s final closure, set for mid to late January.
\n\u201cThe purpose of this letter is to inform you that the Dillard\u2019s store located in Stones River Mall (now called Stones River Town Centre), 1120 Old Fort Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129, will cease its operation and be closed in its entirety on a date no earlier than Jan. 17, 2025, and no later than January 31, 2025,\u201d states a Nov. 13 letter to the mayor from Dean L. Worley, vice president, secretary and general counsel for Dillard\u2019s Inc.
\n\u201cWe anticipate that the closing will be permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter does not state a reason for the store\u2019s closure.<\/p>\n
Dillard\u2019s has been an anchor of Stones River Mall since the 1990s and was rebuilt and expanded in 2007.<\/p>\n
Dillard\u2019s spokesperson Julie Johnson Guymon said the Murfreesboro location is the only one slated for closure.
\nShe did not disclose a reason for the decision, but the Arkansas-based company reported 4% decreased retail sales, year over year, in its third-quarter results Thursday. That follows 3% sales decrease the prior quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile retail sales declined 4%, we focused on gross margin, reporting a respectable 44.5% of sales while working on expense control,\u201d Dillard\u2019s CEO William T. Dillard, II said in Thursday\u2019s earnings statement. \u201cWe reported cash and short-term investments of over $1.1 billion after repurchasing $107 million in stock. We are looking forward to welcoming our customers and serving them this holiday season.\u201d
\nDillard\u2019s has 75 employee positions at the Murfreesboro location, and none of them are represented by a union, according to the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll employees will be terminated\u201d between Jan. 17 and 31, the letter added.<\/p>\n
Guymon said the employees will all be hired at other Nashville-area locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cImportantly, we have assured all Murfreesboro associates of continued employment in other Nashville area Dillard\u2019s locations,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cWe would welcome learning from the owner (of the store property) what the future plans for that space will be,\u201d McFarland said.<\/p>\n
Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr said it\u2019s unfortunate that the Dillard\u2019s in Murfreesboro is closing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have bought several suits there,\u201d Carr said. \u201cThey have been a valued member of the community, and I hate to see them go,\u201d Carr said. \u201cBut we understand that\u2019s the nature of business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Dillard\u2019s in Murfreesboro will be closing by the end of January, according to a letter from a company official to Mayor Shane McFarland. The closure will be permanent and no other Dillard\u2019s locations are slated to close, a company representative said. Christmas shoppers in Murfreesboro will get their final chance to purchase presents in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n