The 2024 Christmas shopping season is the last one that Kohl’s will spend in Herndon.
The department store will permanently close on Jan. 18 after over two decades at 2100 Centreville Road, a Kohl’s spokesperson says, confirming a report by The Burn.
“After this date, shoppers can visit nearby Kohl’s stores, including 21245 Signal Hill Plaza, Sterling, VA, and 12551 Fair Lakes Circle, Fairfax, VA, or shop online at Kohls.com,” Kohl’s communications coordinator Megan Regenfuss said by email.
Kohl’s also has a store at the Burke Centre Shopping Center (5793 Burke Centre Parkway). Regenfuss didn’t comment on why the retailer decided to not to stay in Herndon, but outgoing CEO Tom Kingsbury reported a decline in sales for the third quarter in an earnings call on Nov. 27.
Kohl’s opened in Herndon on April 16, 1999, making it one of seven locations around the U.S. where it expanded on that date, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported at the time. According to Fairfax County property records, the building was constructed in 1994.
The 7-acre property also has smaller, standalone commercial buildings currently occupied by Truist Bank and 7-Eleven, along with a Sunoco gas station.
The 105,700-square-foot Kohl’s building is slated to be filled by Lidl after the German grocer signed a lease in late March, the Washington Business Journal reported.
Lidl will occupy about 28,988 square feet, while creating two additional spaces totaling 54,672 square feet and 17,679 square feet that will be subleased to other future tenants, according to a commercial alteration permit application currently under review by Fairfax County staff.
The grocer implemented a similar subleasing arrangement in McLean, where it’s paired with the eateries Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Matchbox Pizza.
A public relations representative for Lidl didn’t comment on the planned Herndon store or possible takers for the subleases, stating only that the company announces store openings a month in advance.
However, the building plan being reviewed by the county suggests that the 54,672-square-foot space may be going to Hobby Lobby. The Oklahoma-based arts and crafts retailer, which has stores in Fair Lakes and Plaza at Landmark in Lincolnia, didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
The Fairfax County Department of Land Development Services says it hasn’t received any plans or permits specifically for Hobby Lobby, so the signage shown in the building plan could be a stand-in for whichever will ultimately fill the space.
Known for its discount prices, Lidl has been rapidly expanding in Northern Virginia, opening stores in Tysons, Chantilly, Lorton and, most recently, Centreville within the last few years. The chain currently has 10 stores in Fairfax County, though the closest one to the Reston and Herndon area is at Sugarland Crossing in Sterling.
