Tyree Willis, an associate at The Children’s Place, confirmed the store’s closure at Market Place Shopping Center, and says The Children’s Place will not relocate in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Dennis Robertson, general manager of Market Place Shopping Center, also confirmed the closure of The Children’s Place. The store is one of three retailers slated to be relocated within the mall thanks to the pending construction of a new Costco Warehouse store, that will be built on the footprint of the former Bergner’s wing.
The Champaign City Council approved a sales tax revenue-sharing plan with Costco to build a new store on the previous there earlier this month.
Old Navy and Lenscrafters will relocate elsewhere at Market Place, Robertson said. The Children’s Place, however, chose to close instead of move.
That’s not a surprise to outside observers; the chain announced it would be closing 300 locations between 2013 and 2020. “If 2019 fits the pattern of previous years, the company will close about 30 locations this year,” according to msn.com.
The Children’s Place becomes another in a long list of clothing stores that have closed in recent years including Bergner’s, LOFT, Banana Republic, The Limited, Gymboree, and Motherhood Maternity. But the mall has also attracted new stores that consumers wanted, including stores that carry children’s clothing such as H&M (which opened in September) and Carter’s.
The Children’s Place also once had a location in Tuscola as well, that was branded as an outlet. That store closed several years ago.