Albert Lea’s Herberger’s will not close

Albert Lea’s Herberger’s store will not be closed as part of The Bon-Ton Stores reduction plan announced in November.

The parent company to the Albert Lea store and Younkers in Austin announced a list of 42 locations that will be closed. Five more locations were previously announced.

In addition to Younkers and Herberger’s, Bon-Ton operates department stores under the brand name Bergner’s, Bon-Ton, Carson’s and Elder-Beerman.

One Minnesota location was included in the list of stores to close — a Herberger’s clearance center at Birch Run Station in Maplewood. Other stores were in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.

“As part of the comprehensive turnaround plan we announced in November, we are taking the next steps in our efforts to move forward with a more productive store footprint,” said Bill Tracy, president and chief executive officer for The Bon-Ton Stores, in a press release.

“We would like to thank the local customers who have shopped at these locations and express deep gratitude to our team of hard-working associates for their commitment to Bon-Ton and to serving our customers.”

Tracy in November stated Bon-Ton, like many department stores, had been shouldering declines in traffic due to online sales.

Company sales lagged by 6.6 percent compared to a year ago during the third quarter.