Kohl’s Shorewood plans further delayed

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Updated: March 17, 2012 10:17AM

SHOREWOOD — Residents who have been eagerly awaiting a Kohl’s store in the village will have to wait longer.

Mayor Richard Chapman announced Tuesday the construction and opening of a Kohl’s in the village’s Towne Center will be delayed six months to a year.

The store had been slated to open in October with construction of the store beginning in April.

“The good news is they still want to be here,” Chapman said. “I’m still happy. They’re still telling us they’re coming. We just have to wait a little longer.”

Chapman got news this week of the delay, which is said to be due to the company’s poor year-end performance. He and Village Administrator Jeff Fiegenschuh plan to discuss the matter with the property’s broker, the developer and Kohl’s representatives to see if the village could help.

But Fiegenschuh said he suspects there is “nothing Shorewood can do.”

“I think there are market forces at play here,” he said.

Plans for a Kohl’s in the village were reignited in June when village officials approved amendments to the property’s site plan and plat. Plans for the store were developed in 2008 but were put on hold because of the struggling economy.

Despite the delays, village officials routinely have thanked Kohl’s for remaining committed to locating within the village. They expect the project — once completed — to jump-start the commercial development of the Towne Center.

According to information from Kohl’s, the retailer opened 40 stores last year. It operates more than 1,100 stores in 49 states.

Kohl’s fourth-quarter earnings report will be released Feb. 23.