Dillard's Gets Out of the Travel Business -- Finally

Although the days when most people go to the mall for their travel arrangements dried up earlier this decade, some companies stayed the rocky course.

Dillard's Inc., the Little Rock-based department store chain with $7.7 billion in revenue, reported this week that it will cut costs by closing its Dillard's Travel agency. The in-house travel agency, seen in malls across the country, will affect 43 of its 318 stores. The company reported that it would help customers with pending travel arrangements but will no longer allow new bookings. Dillard's Executive Travel will continue to operate for corporate client and company use.

The company also closed 14 stores in the 2008 fiscal year and "remains committed to aggressively closing under-performing stores." About 160 employees who worked at chain's travel agencies may be relocated to other store departments. Dillard's operates in 29 states across the country.