Apple Store in Chicago Area Permanently Closing Later This Month

[MacRumors]

Apple will be permanently closing its store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook on April 26, the company has announced.

Apple has added the following notice to the store's web page:

Thank you Northbook. Apple Northbrook is closing on April 26 at 7pm. We're still here for you. Please visit apple.com/retail to find your nearest store.

Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017.

Apple previously said affected employees would be able to continue working for the company, but a closing date had yet to be announced.

"At Apple, we're always focused on providing an exceptional experience for all of our customers," said Apple. "With the evolving redevelopment plans at Northbrook Court Mall and the departure of several retailers, we have made the difficult decision to close our store there. We've loved serving the Northbrook community for nearly 20 years, and our valued team members will continue their roles at Apple. We look forward welcoming customers at one of our eight Chicagoland locations, as well as on Apple.com and the Apple Store app."

Northbrook Court is considered to be a dying mall, as it has lost several major retailers over the past few years, including Lululemon earlier this year.

Apple's closest location for Northbrook customers will be at the Westfield Old Orchard mall.

Apple also permanently closed its Infinite Loop and Royal Hawaiian stores early last year, but it has also opened several new stores around the world since then, including at the Miami Worldcenter, The Exchange TRX in Malaysia, and elsewhere. Apple also announced that it will soon be opening a store in Downtown Detroit.

Article Link: Apple Store in Chicago Area Permanently Closing Later This Month

 

[knappeduivel]

Chic-a-Go-Go

(to soon?)

 

[ChrisA]

It is not just Apple but all mall-stores are going away. Some people blame this on Amazon, but the trend started before Amazon.

Studies using camera recordings of parking lots show why. Many people driving cars looking for parking will spend 5 minutes searching for a parking space that saves them a 1-minute walk. So clearly they don't like walking because searching for 5 minutes does not save time. It is the physical effort of walking they don't like. Malls are a victim of the obesity epidemic.

You don't have to do a scientific study to see this, all of us have seen people circling the parking lots and waiting for someone to back out of a close-in parking space when the far end of the parking lot is nearly empty

Some malls have recovered by turning the stores around to you can enter from the outside and park close to the store. But even doing this kills the whole point of a mall. The point is to generate foot traffic by forcing shoppers to walk past many stores on their way to the one they want to shop at. The point is that EVERY store benefits from people who have to walk and might do an impulse buy. But now many people refuse to walk if they can avoid it. and the malls don't work

 

[jason4427]

It is a dead mall and they are still trying to figure out redevelopment.

 

[Hajj.david]

It is not just Apple but all mall-stores are going away. Some people blame this on Amazon but the trend started before Amazon

Its interesting because it really really depends on the area and mall. It seems the really nice malls that did a good job to keep out problematic people are doing fine. For example the Woodlands Mall in the Woodlands TX is always filled to the brim, same with Soumerset Mall in Troy MI or International Mall in Tampa. Every mall where they let wild packs of teens roam around and cause trouble are dying or in the state of decay.

 

[mac-imperator]

Damn, 2005? The "Mall Concept" is dead. On a side note, I'd probably be a failed SVP of Real Estate if I think that Lululemon was an "Anchor Store" that would be a basis of putting an Apple Store at that mall. After working at the Fruit Stand for ten years, Lululemon's customers is "straight up the middle" Apple's demographic... One of the worst demographics but unlike most they are the "cash drivers" with influence.

 

[snow755]

Northbrook customers will be at the Westfield Old Orchard mall.

wont be surpised to see this one closed has well

 

[smithrh]

I wouldn't say malls are dead by any means.

What is clearly happening though is that if a mall is underperforming, it's going to die and traffic is going to go over to malls that are doing better. Basically consolidation through customer demand (or lack thereof).

Apple will of course not want to be in the dying malls, and will exit from them.

Been in plenty of Apple stores in lively malls where the Apple Store is crowded and obviously thriving.

 

[bryo]

Northbrook customers will be at the Westfield Old Orchard mall.

wont be surpised to see this one closed has well

Last time I was at old orchard it seemed pretty busy, but that was admittedly a few years ago.

 

[DotCom2]

Not long ago I went to a Mall that was the largest around us. 3 levels. It was and hour and a half from us. I was shocked! Looked like a ghost town and many name shops GONE!

 

[ignatius345]

Actually went to that mall last year. Like so many, it's just got big gaps in it where stuff is either closed or has really dingy low-rent businesses filling in storefronts. I feel weird saying this, but... it's kind of sad?

 

[realeric]

People don’t visit a large mall anymore. Instead, mixed developed area are rising. The apple store in my metro city was also moved from a mall to a new developed street.

 

[cocky jeremy]

I wouldn't say malls are dead by any means.

What is clearly happening though is that if a mall is underperforming, it's going to die and traffic is going to go over to malls that are doing better. Basically consolidation through customer demand (or lack thereof).

Apple will of course not want to be in the dying malls, and will exit from them.

Been in plenty of Apple stores in lively malls where the Apple Store is crowded and obviously thriving.

I think it depends on the area. If there are a lot of shopping areas, malls generally die off. Places like my original hometown don't have many places, so malls are as active as ever.

 

[CapitalIdea]

Malls are a terrible experience anymore. Wasted time and fuel to park, walk around aimlessly, and get things at a likely higher price than other choices. At least in a normal mixed use area it's not a chore to shop.

 

[kingtj1971]

I think it depends on the area. If there are a lot of shopping areas, malls generally die off. Places like my original hometown don't have many places, so malls are as active as ever.

I'm not even sure it's that simple? I live in a smaller city with a mall that's been on life support for at least a decade. They never could get another big "anchor" store to replace Sears when it left. They finally put in a movie theater, but that's only viable because the next closest AMC theater closed - redirecting everyone to this one.

As I understand it? The mall owners generally built these malls with expectations they'd require a multi million dollar refresh at least once every decade or so. Everything from heating and cooling systems to all the flooring and doors going in and out are just going to be wearing out by then. When the mall can't bring in the kind of rent required to make those costs feasible, they defer the maintenance on the property and let it limp along until it dies out. A big part of the equation is to constantly keep 2 or 3 anchor stores leasing space in one. The math works out for them to let smaller merchants come and go, leaving vacancies. But the anchors really cost-justify the mall operation. With Sears pretty much out of the picture and JC Penney struggling? Things don't look promising for that business model.

 

[Macalway]

Like others have said, the Mall is sorta slow. Very nice place.

Quiet. Not crowded. Plenty of parking, etc.....

I use it for the very reasons it's going to close. Irony. But Malls in general seem to be slowing.

 

[Darren.h]

WOW! I went for a Job Interview at that store years ago.

Born and raised in Glenview ILL. Northbrook is next to Glenview

Movie Director John Hughs went to Glenbrook North High School in Northbro0ok.
I attended Glenbrook South High School in Glenview ILL. Graduated in 86.

Always Hung at at Northbrook Court in the late 70's and 80's.

They had the Claim Company restaurant. Famous for the MOTHERLOAD HAMBURGER.

 

[bluespark]

Makes sense that Apple would pull out of this old, slow, and dying suburban mall, but a new Apple Store on the north side of Chicago is badly needed. Apple should look in and around the Southport Corridor and Lincoln Square, which have the sorts of stores (Vuori, etc.) that you would often expect to see near Apple Stores. There is a ton of money in those neighborhoods, and they are far north of the nearest Apple Stores in the city.

 

[d-klumpp]

It is not just Apple but all mall-stores are going away. Some people blame this on Amazon but the trend started before Amazon

Too bad, as Northbrook was a nice mall in its day. But to Chris' point, I was recently in Paris and noticed two things missing compared to Chicago or most any other US city: no vacant store fronts and no Amazon trucks constantly circling like buzzards.

Yes, correlation is not causation. However, every dollar spent online is a dollar of lost brick-and-mortar sales. Sure, there are specialty items that I cannot purchase locally and so must resort to online purchases. But no one ever went broke betting on American laziness, and too many people order everyday items on line rather than get off their couch or "suffer" interactions with actual human beings IRL. Hence, the vacant storefronts across America and Amazon/FedEx/UPS trucks clogging streets and disturbing our neighborhoods.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

WOW! I went for a Job Interview at that store years ago.

Born and raised in Glenview ILL. Northbrook is next to Glenview

Movie Director John Hughs went to Glenbrook North High School in Northbro0ok.
I attended Glenbrook South High School in Glenview ILL. Graduated in 86.

Always Hung at at Northbrook Court in the late 70's and 80's.

They had the Claim Company restaurant. Famous for the MOTHERLOAD HAMBURGER.

I graduated from Highland Park High School and remember hanging out at Northbrook Court too. Claim Company is still around but it's located on Skokie Blvd. near Dundee Rd and they still have the Motherlode burger.. Haven't eaten at the new location so not sure if it's as good as the original

 

[UltimaKilo]

People don’t visit a large mall anymore. Instead, mixed developed area are rising. The apple store in my metro city was also moved from a mall to a new developed street.

Yeah, you're generalizing. In Miami, Brickell City Center is at 100% capacity and Miami World Center mall has just opened, with a new Flagship Apple Store to boot.

 

[poematik13]

you already know why

 

[IvyKing]

They had the Claim Company restaurant. Famous for the MOTHERLOAD HAMBURGER.

Could that have been the Claim Jumper restaurant with the Mother Lode hamburger? Claim Jumper seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Our local Apple Store is in a small outdoor mall that seems to be hanging on.

 

[peneaux]

We all know why but we can't say it.

 

[maruyama]

Makes sense that Apple would pull out of this old, slow, and dying suburban mall, but a new Apple Store on the north side of Chicago is badly needed. Apple should look in and around the Southport Corridor and Lincoln Square, which have the sorts of stores (Vuori, etc.) that you would often expect to see near Apple Stores. There is a ton of money in those neighborhoods, and they are far north of the nearest Apple Stores in the city.

Southport is totally the right vibe for an urban Apple Store, but I think it's too close to the Lincoln Park one for them to put one there. Lincoln Square is far enough away, and I could definitely see one going in there at some point.

I could see a small one going into the West Loop once they get a few more residential high rises. It's almost too close to the Michigan Ave flagship, but the density might be almost enough now to support a satellite store downtown.