Macy’s and Kohl’s are preparing to shut down Bay Area department stores — and slash jobs — an ominous indicator that some retailers must navigate a forbidding economic landscape in 2025. Kohl’s has posted plans to shut stores in five Bay Area cities while Macy’s has revealed its decision to shut two stores in the nine-county region.

Kohl's said Thursday it will close 27 underperforming stores by April 2025. Why it matters: The department store chain is hoping to avoid the fate of some of its rivals, such as Sears and JCPenney, both of which ended up in bankruptcy,