Kohl's To Shutter 2 San Diego Area Stores Saturday

SAN DIEGO, CA — Dozens of underperforming Kohl's department stores will close nationwide on Saturday, including two stores in San Diego County, the company informed shoppers on Thursday.

The closures were announced in January, but the final shopping date came as a surprise to local shoppers. The final shopping date was announced on company's website for each of the 10 California locations closing on Saturday. Kohl's department store is known for affordable clothing and home goods.

The closures are part of a series of cost-cutting measure by the company, including a 10 percent staffing reduction, the elimination of in-store Amazon returns, and the upcoming closure of a massive e-commerce fulfillment center in San Bernardino in May.

In all, 10 stores out of 116 across California will close permanently this week. Two of those stores are in the San Diego area, located at 5505 Balboa Ave. in San Diego and 134 N El Camino Real in Encinitas.

The last chance to shop at the shuttering locations is this Saturday from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In January, the retail chain informed its employees of the slated store closures and "offered a competitive severance package or the ability to apply to other open roles" within the company, according to Kohl's.

"We always take these decisions very seriously," Tom Kingsbury, Kohl's chief executive officer, said in a statement at the time. "As we continue to build on our long-term growth strategy, it is important that we also take difficult but necessary actions to support the health and future of our business for our customers and our teams."

The chain entered the California market in the early 2000's. In closing underperforming stores, Kohl's joins chains including Macy's and Big Lots.