Four Stores Close in Downtown Disney

WDWNT Author on February 11, 2009

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.

Illuminations: Reflections of Cutbacks

WDWNT Author on February 4, 2009

It seems that along with the closing of Department 56 and Club Libby Lu, we will also be losing another Downtown Disney store, Illuminations. This comes with big cutbacks to the store’s parent company, Yankee Candle:

Yankee Holding Corp. and its subsidiary The Yankee Candle Co. said Tuesday that the company is slashing 330 jobs as part of a restructuring plan that includes closing its 28 Illuminations retail stores.

Yankee is also discontinuing its Illuminations consumer direct business and closing one underperforming Yankee Candle retail store.

The job cuts include about 310 store employees and field personnel in the Illuminations division, about 10 store employees at the closing Yankee Candle retail store, and about 12 corporate and administrative personnel at corporate headquarters.

…

The company expects to close the Illuminations stores — which are located primarily on the West Coast — by April 30. Rydin said the company plans to continue developing and marketing Illuminations branded products mostly through its wholesale business. The Company acquired the Illuminations business in July 2006.

Every Single Club Libby Lu Store Closing

WDWNT Author on November 6, 2008

While this really isn’t Disney related news, the owner of the Club Libby Lu chain of stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, has pulled the entire chain of stores, which means every single store will close down by May 2009. We have no word on when the Downtown Disney location will close down, or what will replace it, but stay tuned to Disneyland News Today for the latest.