Illinois Facility Closing Resulting in More Than 100 Losing Jobs

It looks like there will soon be many more Illinoisans who will be looking for work after a notice to the state indicates a facility will be closing affecting more than one hundred.

One of the newest additions to the Illinois Work Net website is a WARN notice from a very familiar brand name. It says that Barnes & Noble will be closing a facility at 7801 Industrial Park in Forest Park, Illinois. The notice filed a few days ago on January 29, 2025 shows that a "plant closure" will happen at that location and will result in the layoff of 107 workers as of April 1, 2025.

MapQuest says this facility "a facility that specializes in the distribution of paper products and related supplies. They serve as a central hub for receiving, storing, and shipping various paper goods to retailers and customers."

Here is the reason given for the layoffs on the Illinois Work Net website.

There is no word if those 107 workers will be offered positions at other Barnes & Noble facilities or offered severance. This new layoff notice is the latest in a long line of manufacturing and distribution facilities in Illinois that have laid off hundreds already in 2025.