ShopKo is closing its Cape Girardeau discount department store after nearly two years of business.

The store, which is one of the anchors at the Westfield Shoppingtown, will be among 23 ShopKo stores in seven Midwestern states to close.

The company's corporate headquarters in Green Bay, Wis., announced Wednesday that 2,500 jobs would be lost as a part of the closings.

A representative of ShopKo's corporate office was in Cape Girardeau Wednesday to meet with store managers. Steve Peters, director of business processes, declined to comment on how much longer the store would remain open.

The company's press release did not give a timetable for the closures.

The general manager of Westfield Shoppingtown expressed surprise at losing ShopKo.

"It is unexpected," Jim Govro said. "We will be exploring our options."

The closures include stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska and Missouri, as well as a distribution center in Quincy, Ill.

The job cuts also include 136 positions at the company's corporate headquarters in Green Bay and another 41 at the Pamida division company headquarters in Omaha, Neb.

The company's Chairman and President William Posadny said the moves would position ShopKo well for "what has become a challenging retailing environment."

"Although difficult for everyone involved, improving the productivity of assets and reducing debt is necessary for the ongoing vitality of the company and its employees," he said.

ShopKo last November reported third-quarter losses of $8.4 million, which it blamed on soft sales and low margins in a competitive retail environment.

Govro will be sorry to see the mall lose ShopKo, which had its grand opening in Cape Girardeau on April 30, 1999.

"It's sad because we had a lot of good employees at ShopKo, but we have a lot of ties with different retailers, and I'm sure there will be some exciting things come out of this."

George Suggs, who frequently walks around the Westfield Shoppingtown for exercise, said he could see ShopKo's closing coming. Fewer people go to stores around that corner of the mall, he said.

Even though he rarely buys anything in ShopKo, Suggs said he'll miss the store.

"I've always liked to walk around the store, since it's not very crowded," he said.