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Rue21 at the Highlands closing

WHEELING — Add another company to the list of large chain retailers in the Ohio Valley undergoing mass store closings.

Teen fashion retailer Rue21 on Saturday announced it plans to close almost 400 stores around the country, including its location at the Highlands. The Rue21 store at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville was not on the list of planned closures, however.

“It’s true we are closing some stores. It was a difficult but necessary decision,” the company posted to its Facebook page Saturday, along with a link to a list of stores that are closing. “We still have hundreds of locations across the country, and our website rue21.com, open for business.”

A full list of the retailer’s planned closures can be found at rue21.com/store/store-closings. The announcement did not include information on when the stores would close.

Ohio County Commissioner Orphy Klempa, who serves on the Ohio County Development Authority, which manages the Highlands, said county officials learned of the company’s plans a few days ago. Although he’s confident the development authority will find a new tenant for the space, he acknowledged times are tough for retailers right now.

“It’s something I preach everywhere I go … we’re going to lose all of our retailers if the online shopping continues to grow,” Klempa said.

Locally, Rue21 also operates a distribution center in Weirton, but the announcement did not indicate that facility would be impacted.

The retail industry is going through an upheaval right now, as several large chain retailers have decided to reorganize, close underperforming stores and trim overhead or declare bankruptcy.

Even though Rue21 is maintaining its store at the Ohio Valley Mall, the shopping center has been home to many businesses that are opting to close stores. The empty space at the mall has some local officials and retail experts concerned, although some believe the mall will be able to adapt and innovate according to new consumer needs and trends.

Like Klempa, Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas said he believes “retail is in crisis” because of the dramatic increase in online shopping.

“The closings of Kmart, Radio Shack, MC Sports and hh gregg have nothing to do with the Ohio Valley Mall or Belmont County, but everything to do with our residents not fully supporting brick-and-mortar retail like they were over the last many years,” Thomas said.

However, Thomas remains optimistic that the mall will survive because of the commitment of the Cafaro Co. to its future success. He said that in the meantime, he and other Belmont County officials will continue to prepare the groundwork needed to attract private-sector jobs.

“The more jobs we help indirectly create, the more people spend money and the new retail will follow a vibrant economy. … As the county grows — and it will — so will our tax base, and that too includes our friends at the Ohio Valley Mall,” Thomas added.

Sue Douglass, executive director of the Belmont County Community Improvement Corp., said she sees the trend moving away from large retail chain stores as being an opportunity for entrepreneurs, small businesses and “non-traditional type business projects.”

“There is a trend in the market now for hands-on businesses. We have been encouraged to see more people putting up small businesses and following their dreams here in St. Clairsville, as well as in Martins Ferry,” Douglass said.

Douglass said her agency believes large chain retailers have been losing business because of many market factors, including online shopping, and the fact that the availability of goods and how people value goods has changed over the years.

“There are a massive amount of factors that all unhappily collided at once. But people always need goods and services, so we will see how this will translate in the local market. We are just happy that local entrepreneurs are getting more opportunity. There are always ebbs and flows in business cycles. We are always optimistic,” Douglass said.

Marshalls department store is currently under construction at the Ohio Valley Mall in part of the former Elder-Beerman department store, which vacated its space recently. Mitchell said Marshalls is a store that fulfills a specific “niche” in the market, which is why it is so successful.

“There really is not that much difference between several department stores like Macy’s, Sears, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s. Variety is the outgoing trend, niche is the current trend,” Mitchell added.

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