DANVILLE, Va. – Signs were up Wednesday in the front windows at Petco, advertising big discounts ahead of the store's closure Jan. 12.
Kmart, Sears and Toys "R" Us closed earlier this year.
Even so, Danville City Manager Ken Larking said the city's sales tax revenue, which the city gets from businesses, is up compared to last year.
"We feel very good about our sales tax collection," Larking said.
He didn't know exactly how much sales tax revenue the city gets from Petco or was getting from Kmart, Sears or Toys "R" Us, but pointed out that people may shop elsewhere in the city when a store closes, meaning the city may not actually lose sales tax revenue because a store closed.
As for bringing in new businesses to replace the stores?
"It's really up to the property owners to find new businesses to lease. We're happy to work with any shopping center that's looking for help and information to market their property. Often times, they're not interested in our help," Larking said.
He added that he doesn't believe the big box store closings will necessarily prevent other companies from coming to Danville.
"They really take the time to analyze the economy and see what's going on. They can get information, for example, (about) how much sales tax revenue is being received and say, 'Hey, you know what? This is a growing environment,'" Larking said.
Employees at Petco Wednesday said they could not speak on camera, but one employee said the store was closing because the company's 10-year lease on the building is up.
Larking didn't know why the company decided not to stay.