There will be one more empty storefront in the Tiffin Mall after Jan. 24.
That's the last day Bath & Body Works will be open; news they received from their corporate headquarters Tuesday.
Store manager Tasha Lasch said the store, which she said had been in its mall location for at least eight years, was not profitable enough for the parent company, Limited Brands, to keep open.
A corporate spokesperson confirmed in a statement Friday that "due to business reasons, we close stores as leases expire throughout the country and our actions are consistent with a long term commitment to our associates to operate efficiently and to grow shareholder value."
The Tiffin store employees 16 people; Lasch is the only full-time employee. She said the Tiffin location had "held its own" in terms of sales, yet when the cost of rent and utilities were factored in, as well as the Tiffin market location, the store was not profitable. Twelve stores total have been told they are closing.
Tiffin's location was considered a "C" store, with annual profits projected at half a million. In comparison, the Findlay location is now an "A" store, with more than a million in sales. In addition, the fact that there are other Bath & Body Works locations near the Tiffin market, Lasch said added to the decision to close the store.
The Tiffin store, like others nationwide, are having their semi-annual sale, which is to continue to run through the store's closing date. Items not sold will be shipped to other store locations; there will not be a store liquidation sale, Lasch said.
"In the past year, we have been doing better than some of the Columbus stores," she said. "It's as if they are cleaning house, and we are like the mismatched sock which is being thrown away. I feel bad for the mall and our associates."
