Macy’s at Boulevard Mall in Las Vegas will close

Macy’s has announced it will shut its location at the Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway.

In a statement Wednesday, Macy’s named the store as one of 68 it will close by the end of the year.

The store is 178,000 square feet, opened in 1966 and employs 84 people, according to the statement.

Nationwide, Macy’s has said it is eliminating more than 10,000 jobs and plans to move forward with the store closures after a disappointing holiday shopping season. The department store chain also lowered its full-year earnings forecast.

The retailer said Wednesday that sales at established stores fell 2.1 percent in November and December compared with the same period last year. Macy’s Inc. pointed to changing consumer behavior and said it reflects challenges facing much of the retail industry.

Boulevard Mall general manager Timo Kuusela said he hasn’t been contacted by Macy’s, but he confirmed Macy’s at Boulevard Mall did open in 1966.

He said that a closing timeline will become clear in the near future and that he is looking at the bright side of the newly open space.

Boulevard Mall has sought tenants that provide more entertainment than retail to combat slipping sales for brick-and-mortar stores. In December, it opened SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium, a 31,000-square-foot home to sea creatures, birds and a performer dressed as a mermaid.

“People shouldn’t view this as a negative,” Kuusela said of Macy’s. “They’ve suffered all over.”

The department store chain had announced in August that it will close 100 stores to reduce costs. The company will save $550 million a year from the closings.

It will invest $250 million toward its online business, business in China, its discount outlet Macy’s Backstage and the spa and beauty chain it bought in 2015, Bluemercury.

Shoppers continue to prefer shopping online and with smartphones and tablets. The department store’s sales at stores it owns and licenses in November and December decreased by 2.1 percent compared with sales during the same period in 2015.

At stores Macy’s owns, the decrease was 2.7 percent.

“We had anticipated sales would be stronger,” CEO Terry Lundgren said in the statement. “We believe that our performance during the holiday season reflects the broader challenges facing much of the retail industry.”

Macy’s saw double-digit gains at the website for Bloomingdale’s. The apparel, fine jewelry and furniture business’ sales satisfied the company. But it still struggles with handbags and watches.

Contact Wade Tyler Millward at 702-383-4602 or wmillward@reviewjournal.com. Follow @wademillward on Twitter.