Shopko closing all remaining department stores

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WLUK) -- Shopko announced it is closing its remaining 120 department stores.

According to documents filed in federal bankruptcy court Monday, the remaining locations will all close in June.

• Click here to see a full list of closures

As of now, four Shopko optical locations will remain open until further evaluation: Mequon, Oshkosh, Waukesha and Omaha, Nebraska.

The Ashwaubenon-based retailer filed for bankruptcy Jan. 16, 2019.It started closing stores in December 2018.

"This is not the outcome that we had hoped for when we started our restructuring efforts," said Russ Steinhorst, Chief Executive Officer of Shopko. "We want to thank all of our teammates for their hard work and dedication during their time at Shopko."

We spoke to some residents who said they can't remember a time when Shopko wasn't around.

"I've lived here for 49 years and as far as I know they've been here," said Kim Reeves.

Reeves shops at Shopko weekly.

"It'll be interesting. This is where we always get our school supplies too," said Reeves.

For Reeves, the store closing means she needs to find a new place to shop.

For Ashwaubenon, it means a major employer is gone.

Kelly Armstrong, the vice president of economic development at the Greater Green Bay Chamber, released the following statement:

Anytime a community loses a major employer, the impact is felt community-wide. We are saddened by Shopko’s announcement, as they have been a mainstay of the Greater Green Bay community for more than 50 years—as not only an employer, but also an active community supporter. Given the talent shortage that exists nationally, including in Northeast Wisconsin, we are hopeful that individuals displaced as a result of these closures will quickly secure supporting jobs.

According to the chamber, in 2018 Shopko was the 16th largest private employer in the Greater Green Bay Area.

In 2014 they employed 1,438 people in the greater Green Bay area, in 2016 they employed 1,129 people, and by last year they employed 1,010 people.

These closures will affect an additional 5,000 employees.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of Shopko stores in Northeast Wisconsin affected by this final round of closures.