Four Stores Close in Downtown Disney
According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
Downtown Disney is quickly losing tenants.
Club Libby Lu – a store for girls to dress up, shop and have a makeover – has closed. Owned by Saks Inc., all 78 of the Club Libby Lu stores around the nation are closing.
Department 56 and Starabillas have closed as well.
The Register’s Retail blog reports that Yankee Holding Corp. will close all 28 of its Illuminations stores. Downtown Disney’s high-quality candle store is scheduled to close April 30. Everything in the store is being sold at 25 to 50 percent off.
A fifth store might soon shutter as well.
The retail blog also reported that Quiksilver plans to close 25 of its stores. It is unclear whether the Downtown Disney outlet will be among the fatalities.
Disney spokeswoman Betsy Sanchez said today that Downtown Disney is in talks with four or five retailers to pick up the leases.
Sanchez wouldn’t comment on whether the overall sagging economy, or more specifically any reduced foot traffic in Downtown Disney, was to blame for the closures.
According to Disney’s earnings report for the quarter ending Dec. 27, theme park revenue was down 4 percent.
“From our perspective the closures at these locations had nothing to do with Downtown Disney,” said Disney Spokeswoman Suzi Brown. “These have to do with the parent companies’ decision to close the stores chain-wide.”
She said as far as Starabilia is concerned, the privately-owned celebrity collectable shop came to the end of its lease and chose not to renew it.
Though Brown said Disney hasn’t heard anything about the Quicksilver shop yet, the one in Downtown Disney is “among the top performers in the chain,” as was Libby Lu.
