Payless to close all stores?

PERKINS TWP. — The Sandusky Mall could lose another longtime tenant to bankruptcy.Payless ShoeSource in the mall next to J.C. Penney may close as its corporate office plans to file for bankruptcy, for the second time in two years, at the end of the month, according to Reuters.The discount footwear retailer based out of Topeka, Kansas, previously filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and cut its debt in half from more than $800 million to about $400 million. Reuters cited sources who said the company plans to begin liquidation to close all of its stores — approximately 2,300 locations — after it was unable to find a buyer.There's a slim chance the shoe retailer could survive if a buyer is found after it files bankruptcy, but Reuters claims the company is already preparing a going-out-of-business sale for next week.A spokesperson for Payless ShoeSource's corporate office didn't return emails for comment. If the reports prove to be true, it would be one of the largest mass closures since Toys R Us shuttered all of its U.S. locations.The Sandusky Mall has lost a number of its tenants to the financial strain in the retail industry including Sears, Elder-Beerman, Macy's, Ostermans Jewelers, Ruby Tuesday and Charming Charlie. Andrews Jewelers and Crazy 8 have also begun the liquidation process after their parent companies filed for bankruptcy.Cafaro Co., the mall's owners, has stated it remains committed to the mall's development are always in talks with possible new tenants. Tentative plans on the company's website show a proposed renovation to the mall.Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterA display for ballet shoes at a Payless Shoe store in Los Angeles, California, on May 23, 2012. U.S. shoe tariffs can reach 67.5 percent, and add to footwear prices. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/MCT)