Big-box retailer Best Buy announced over the weekend the full list of stores it plans to close this year as it struggles with competition from online commerce — and the store in Evanston was not on the list.
Six stores in the Chicago area will be closing though, including ones in Addison, Deerfield, Matteson, Mundelein and West Dundee, as well as one at 8900 S. Lafayette Ave. in Chicago. Nationwide the company is in the midst of closing 50 stores.
In addition to the Evanston store, at 2301 Howard St., Best Buy has about nine other remaining stores within roughly a 10 mile radius of Evanston.
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Best Buy still here, for now… tick tick tick
Based upon comments on many blogs when the announcement was made this weekend, it would appear that many consumers have little affection for Best Buy. It appears to be a combination of overpriced merchandise as compared to Fry, etc. and the basence of qualified salespersons who might truly be knowledgable about the products available. I have found much of this to be true, especially in that the latest products or models that can be found when surfing the web are not those being sold by Best Buy.
As we saw with Borders, the question for the Evanston Best Buy may well be "When?" as opposed to "why?" or "Why Not Now?". From what we see across the US is a pattern that begins with a few selsctive closings and then, when the bleeding cannot be slowed, the plug is pulled for good
If that store goes and remains empty (who will come in?) then how great of an effect will that have on Office Max next door and the other two boxes? this will, one hopes, not encourage the Council to offer BB a tax break to stay.
Once again, a bad development decision
Just like Dempster/Dodge, when a city allows a developer to re-develop a district for only one use, and when that use is precariously tied to the whims of large, big box corporations, you have engaged in bad planning.
It is only a matter of years before Howard St. West becomes like Dempster/Dodge. If you have multiuse planning your city is more resilient to changes in the economy. We don't have this.
On the bright side maybe Best Buy will be the world's largest Wine Bar.