Another major retail store is leaving Platte County.
On Friday, Feb. 15, news broke that Payless ShoeSource will file for bankruptcy less than two years after filing the same protection in 2017.
On Monday, Feb. 18, the Topeka, Kan., based business confirmed that all 2,300 stores will close in the United States, though 1,200 retail stores outside of the country are not affected.
The Platte County location at 8608 N. Boardwalk Avenue, in the Shops at Boardwalk, already has ‘Everything Must Go’ signs in the windows.
There are 14 Payless locations in the Kansas City metro area. Online sales have ended, while the retailer will honor gift cards and store credit through March 11.
This is the second major chain to leave the county in the past six months. In October, news broke that Kmart would close its location off Intersate 29.
CNN reported that Payless will start closing stores for good in March and all of the locations will be shuttered by May. All told, about 16,000 people nationwide will lose their jobs.
In April 2017, Payless closed nearly 700 stores after being $435 million in debt. CNBC reported the company, founded in 1956, lost $63 million last year.
Among the owners that took leadership of Payless in 2017 was Alden Global Capital. The hedge fund also owns Digital First Media, a company that is known for buying newspapers in distress — such as the Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News — and slashing staff to increase profits.