Shopko optical center to move to Albert Lea strip mall
Published 2:59 pm Tuesday, February 19, 2019
- Albert Lea's Shopko had already been identified as a location to close, but after an announcement Monday, the company announced all remaining stores would close. - Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune
Though the Albert Lea Shopko will close its doors in May, there are plans to relocate the store’s optical services to a new location.
The optical center will move to the strip mall near Walmart off of Leland Drive, said Albert Lea Shopko store manager Karla Tukua. The shopping strip presently houses stores such as Shoe Sensation and Maurices, and the optical store will be in the corner spot next to America’s Mattress.
Tukua said it is slated to open in the new location April 29 and will be staffed by existing employees.
Signs announcing the move can be seen in the optical center.
Details about the move come after Shopko announced Feb. 6 it was more than doubling the number of stores it would close this spring, including the Albert Lea and Austin stores.
The company in mid-January announced it had filed for voluntary petitions for a court-supervised financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.
Started in 1962, Shopko has served small and mid-size cities across the Central, Western and Pacific Northwest regions of the country. It operated more than 360 stores in 26 states before announcing it was closing 251 of its stores. The company also sold its pharmacy assets.
