MASON CITY – The Fred Meyer jewelry store in Southbridge Mall is closing.
Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer Jewelers, sent a letter to local customers alerting them that the store will be closed effective March 10th. Engel invited Mason City customers to visit the Fred Meyer store in Southpark Mall in Moline, Illinois.
Southbridge Mall management confirmed the store closing this morning, saying the store should be fully cleaned out by March 13th.
A call to Kroger Company, the parent company of Fred Meyer, was directed to media relations and a message was left with Keith Dailey, Director of Media Relations asking why the store would be closed. No immediate answer was returned.
A call to another Fred Meyer store was made, and an employee was asked why the Mason City store was closing.
“Sometimes the lease prices in the malls go up and it just becomes too costly,” the employee said.
Southbridge Mall could not give a reason why the store was leaving, nor could they immediately say how long the store had been in Southbridge Mall. A call to Southbridge Mall’s leasing company using a phone number Southbridge provided resulted in a dead end call.
Kroger is doing well, offering its shareholders increased dividends since 2006. According to its website, in September of 2012, the company’s board of directors raised the quarterly dividend by approximately 30 percent, to 15¢ per share. Since reinstating dividends in 2006, Kroger has increased the dividend each year and expects to continue to do so.
so the $3000 engagement ring and lifetime service up keep & repair that was bought and given to me is supposed to be taken where??? and just for the record my fiancé was never sent a letter of notice…
Should have gone to Stadheim.
I had the same question about my ring/lifetime care plan so I called corporate. Google their 800 number and talk to them about it for the details. They were super helpful.
They said that you can have it inspected at any reputable jeweler in your area, just make sure you get a business card with the date/time it was inspected. If anything needs repair you can call the store that inherited our accounts (in Moline, Illinois) and they will send you an insured fedex envelope to send your jewelry in.
The closest store is in LaCrosse.
Yay another business leaving town!
I heard today that New Beginnings Consignment Shoppe on north federal is closing too. They said business hasn’t been the same since the street scape project.
Yeah yeah yeah they want to blame everything on “the city”. More likely they were too expensive. Why pay $9 for clothing when you can go to the other thrift shops and get likewise for $3.50.
@anon, first of all I should ask you if you ever shopped there? I have, I have shopped at all the second hand stores and the prices here were the best prices for almost brand new products so screw you. Secondly I have noticed that since the streets were all torn up in front of their store for over a year, may I add that 6 other stores down there closed because of the city, I have noticed that they are not nearly as busy as they used to be, not enough parking down there. I counted 8 parking spots less than it used to be and thats just on their street. So anon just shut the F up if you have no idea what you are saying, if you did that the world would be a whole lot quieter.
yes, your hine-ass.
common sense says any business has to turn at least a bit of profit every month. If their costs outweighed their expenses it may not be becuase of the mall or Mason City. Could be poor marketing and advertising, or simply not being competitve enough in price and quality. There is a lot of competition out there for the “gem” dollar. Is the mall doing well?…from what i see probably not, but i dont have access to their financials, so its not always the malls fault or Mason City government, the hotel, or the state of the city…Sometimes its a poorly run business, and if you run a business poorly you go bye bye.
I deal in jewelry and my guess is too much competition combined with too little demand. And people can get gems cheaer on line. Especially from overseas. China, Taiwan etc..
And could just be personal reasons.
Maybe Mercy will buy it for more office space……
@Katie – I think your less than perfect twin just got out of the trunk again.
Maybe they’ll open a same day surgery for liposuction so there might be hope yet for you.
@Katie-more than likely for a clinic. We go to the mall quite often and I tell tell you from my point of view it is pretty depressing. Lot of empty stores and very little in the food court anymore. I hate to see it, even though I am still upset that they closed off Federal when they built it, there are a lot of people who work there and depend on it for a living.
EVER TRY BUYING FROM FRED MEYER I HAVE, SNOBBY UNWILLING TO HELP STAND AND TALK TO YOU COWORKER AND NOT EVEN REALIZE A CUSTOMER IS IN THE STORE THIS WAS AT LEAST 4 TIMES THATS WHY IVE PURCHASED OVER A 100 ITEMS FROM RIDDLES OVER THE 10 OR SO YRS
Mr. Marquardt – Could you run a short article on what it costs for a business to be in the mall? If possible, could it cover rent, and approximate utilities? Would not need insurance costs, empoloyee costs, just the basics.
Thank you.
@a citizen.
If you are looking at starting a business there, you can call the mall office, the prices can be worked out between the mall and the space you want to look at. I am sure there is no set rate that can’t be agreed upon before you move in.
Stock market at record high !!! 2013/1929
Some people will use anything for a pot shot at MC. If you never go to the Mall how would you know if it’s busy or not? We don’t know why they closed. Maybe they want to set up shop on line or elsewhere or for personal reasons. Less overhead. It’s the wave of the future. Life must reeally suck for some people considering the neg. attitude.
@Anonymous-did you even read the article about leases going up? Now what do you think that means.
@Anon- Why should people go to the mall? They can get most everything they want at Target and Walmart, and at cheaper prices. It seems the only people who do not understand this are the city leaders who put money into the sinkhole they call the downtown. How much extra revenue have the statues brought in? How many more business have opened up on main street since the FLW hotel has opened up? How many industries has our downtown renovation brought in? And I would like facts, not speculation on the future. This city needs help, now. Raising taxes isn’t going to do it. The supervisors voting themselves a 2.25% pay raise isn’t going to do it. Sound financial planning and a realistic expectation for the future would be a nice start.
@A Citizen-now we agree.
Turn out the lights, the partys over. Dead, Dead, Dead, oh and lets raise all taxes so we can make up for those who were smart enough to get out early.
Lets see if the city council will ask the state gaming commission if we can turn the mall into a casino, at least then it woulf get used. It is on a river front, maybe a creek. MUSIC MAN CASINO AND FRANK WRIGHT HOTEL. It would bring in millions.
Nope. Holier-than-thou churchies would shoot it down in 2 seconds because Jesus would cry if Mason City became successful.
What a moronic statement.
Jebus would weep…lol. Thanks, I’m laughing so hard I’m crying.
Speaking of that… A while back I had heard that a church that is in the cultural crescent, was going to ask Diamond Jo’s for some money. I never heard if the church went through with it, but, isn’t that like biting the hand that could feed you…
FLW will certainly bring in more business and money than the greasy spoon whorehouse that past councils alowed to set up there. And the other cockroach infested buildings they let rot away there before the Mall. Maybe we should bring those back. They sure don’t cost taxpayers much and are really something to be proud of. sheeeesh. I’ll bet you all just Love the N End of Fed. Your kind of places. Empty and rotting.
The mall will fall and so may City Hall !!!!
All in all, it’s just another brick in the mall