the location at Stratford Square in Bloomingdale. J.C. Penney announced this month it plans to shut 138 stores but is now delaying the move due to better-than-expected sales.

Payless Shoe Source also said this month it intends to close roughly 400 of 4,400 stores in the United States and other countries.

However, Payless competitor DSW is growing, in part, by locating in malls with successful retailers and visibility, such as Kildeer Village Square, said district manager Lester Giedrojc.

He said DSW moved from the Quentin Collection on Rand Road in Kildeer south to the village’s new mall to gain greater visibility.

In addition to finding what the company considers prime locations, Giedrojc said, DSW has done well with meshing online shopping and the in-store experience.

“We have a healthy dot-com channel,” he said. “We feel that brick-and-mortar is a complement to that.”

Nordstrom Rack spokesman John Bailey said physical stores remain important to the company and that they offer customer convenience.

Shoppers were mixed on how often they envision themselves in the new mall.

Kim Talleur of Lake Zurich said she ventures only to Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack. The rest of her shopping likely will continue online even with Kildeer Village Square so close to home, she said.

However, Emiri Fukai of Palatine said she likes the mall experience.

“I prefer to go to the store and (examine) the materials,” she said.

Bond said it’s not only the strong retail lineup that will lead to success at Kildeer Village Square, but also the internal roadways that have been designed to bring shoppers from one place to another. Visitors don’t have to use Rand Road if they want to shuttle between Kildeer Marketplace, Kildeer Village Square, Shops of Kildeer and Deer Park Town Center across the street.

“Connecting us to three shopping centers, with a stop light to go into Deer Park, makes that a really comfortable experience for the shopper,” he said.