Mervyn's to close Ahwatukee store

Mervyn's is closing four Arizona department stores, three of them in or near the East Valley.

Stores at 9109 E. Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale Pavilions, 4710 E. Ray Road, Phoenix, in Ahwatukee Foothills' Silvercreek Plaza, and 4643 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, near Paradise Valley Mall, are among 26 "under-performing" Mervyn's locations to get dumped by the California-based retailer, which is in bankruptcy and trying to reorganize. A south Phoenix store will also be shuttered.

The rest of the company's 10 Valley stores are safe, for now.

The targeted stores will close in October or November, the company said.

"While the decision to close this group of under-performing stores was not easy, we believe this is a necessary step in our process to emerge from bankruptcy as a stronger company, better positioned to compete in the retail industry," Mervyn's CEO John Goodman said in a statement.

Mervyn's said it will assist displaced employees to "make the transition as smooth as possible," and the company has hired a liquidator to stage clearance sales.