Quincy Cato Store is one of 120 Cato Stores Closing Nationwide
Cato to Close About 120 Stores Nationwide, Quincy Location Identified for Closure
10/01/2026 4:24pm Update: Quincy Cato Shoppers Receive E-Mail informing of Quincy Store Closure
Cato Confirms Quincy Store Will Close, Customers Notified by Email – The confirmation comes after Cato announced plans to close approximately 120 stores nationwide but initially did not identify its Quincy location among those affected.
QUINCY, Ill. The Cato Fashions store in Quincy will close, according to an email sent by the retailer to local customers and obtained by Quincy Current.
The notification provides the first direct confirmation that the Quincy location is among the stores affected by Cato’s broader round of closures.
Quincy Current previously reported that The Cato Corp. planned to close approximately 120 stores during fiscal 2026. At the time of that announcement, the company did not release a comprehensive list of affected locations, and there was no indication that the Cato store at 3730 Broadway in Quincy Commons had been selected for closure.
That has now changed.
The email sent to Quincy customers carries the heading “Quincy Store Closing” and thanks shoppers for their business before confirming the local store’s fate.
“We truly appreciate your business,” the message states. “We’re sorry to inform you that our store in Quincy, IL is closing.”
The email does not specify a final day of operation.
As part of the closure, Cato is advertising a storewide discount for Quincy customers.
The email encourages customers to visit the store and says shoppers can receive 25% off everything in the location.
“But we are not leaving on a sad note,” the company tells customers, encouraging them to “go out with a bag (or 2 or 3).”
Cato announced in September that it planned to close about 70 additional underperforming stores during the third and fourth quarters of 2026, bringing its total planned closures for the fiscal year to approximately 120.
The company has said it routinely reviews stores as leases approach renewal and considers factors such as sales trends and current and projected profitability.
Cato Chairman, President and CEO John Cato previously said economic pressures affecting customers’ discretionary income contributed to the decision to close more marginally performing locations rather than renew their leases for another year.
The company said the affected stores were generally approaching the end of their lease terms. Until the customer email surfaced, Quincy’s status had remained uncertain.
The local Cato has operated in Quincy Commons along the Broadway retail corridor, selling women’s apparel, shoes and accessories.
The newly obtained email removes that uncertainty and confirms that Quincy will lose the retailer as part of Cato’s nationwide contraction.
What remains unclear is exactly when the doors will close. The customer notice does not include a final operating date, and it does not provide details about how long the 25% storewide discount will continue or whether discounts could change as the closing process progresses.
For now, the Quincy store remains open while the closing sale is underway.
Original Report
The women’s fashion retailer is accelerating store closures in 2026, but the company has not announced which individual locations will be affected. Cato’s Quincy Commons store remains listed as an active location.
QUINCY, Ill. Cato is preparing to close approximately 120 stores nationwide during fiscal 2026 as the women’s clothing retailer responds to pressure on consumer spending and the performance of some of its locations.
For Quincy shoppers, however, there is currently no indication that the local Cato store is among those scheduled to close.
Cato operates a store at 3730 Broadway in Quincy Commons. As of Wednesday, the Quincy location remained listed on the company’s official store directory with regular operating hours. The company’s Sept. 18 announcement did not provide a list of the individual stores selected for closure. Cato Fashions Stores
That means the national announcement should not be interpreted as confirmation that the Quincy store is closing.
About 70 additional stores added to closure plans
The Cato Corp. announced Sept. 18 that it plans to close approximately 70 additional underperforming stores during the third and fourth quarters.
Those closures bring the company’s total planned store closures for fiscal 2026 to approximately 120 locations. Cato Corporation
Chairman, President and CEO John Cato said the company reviews approximately one-third of its stores each year when lease options become available or when lease extensions are being negotiated.
According to the company, those decisions are based on factors including individual store sales trends and current and projected profitability.
In previous years, Cato said some marginally performing stores were given another year to improve. The company is taking a different approach in 2026.
Cato said current economic conditions, particularly pressure on customers’ discretionary income, have made it less likely that some lower-performing locations will improve enough to justify extending their leases.
The company therefore decided to close more stores than originally anticipated. The additional stores targeted for closure are reaching the end of their lease terms, according to Cato.
That is significant because the company said it will not be responsible for continuing rent payments at those locations after 2026.
Cato expects to spend between $1 million and $1.3 million to exit the approximately 70 additional stores. Those costs primarily involve removing exterior signage and fixtures and returning store technology systems to the company.
Company officials said they believe eliminating the additional underperforming locations will improve Cato’s operating results beginning in fiscal 2027, although that remains a company projection.
Cato’s official website currently identifies 14 stores in Illinois, including Quincy.
The Quincy Commons location at 3730 Broadway continues to appear on Cato’s store locator and includes published store hours, a telephone number and information about merchandise available at the location.
Cato’s announcement did not identify Quincy, Illinois, as a closing location, nor did the company provide a comprehensive public list of the roughly 120 stores affected.
Until Cato releases additional location-specific information, it would therefore be premature to say whether the Quincy store will ultimately be affected by the company’s broader restructuring.
The potential closures are particularly noteworthy in communities such as Quincy because Cato has traditionally maintained a strong presence in smaller and midsized cities.
The company describes itself as operating hundreds of stores across roughly 30 states, with a particular focus on serving customers in smaller American markets.
Cato’s store locator currently shows more than 800 locations nationwide.
The retailer specializes in women’s clothing, including misses, junior, petite and plus sizes, along with shoes and accessories.
The announcement adds Cato to a growing list of retailers reassessing their physical store footprints as companies contend with changing shopping habits, operating costs and pressure on discretionary consumer spending.
Cato’s own explanation places particular emphasis on whether individual stores remain profitable as leases expire.
For now, the most important distinction for Quincy shoppers is that the company has announced a large number of closures nationally, but it has not publicly identified the Quincy Commons store as one of them.
Quincy Current will continue monitoring Cato’s announcements and the status of the Quincy location as the company moves through its third and fourth-quarter closure plans.
