Meanwhile, it continues to close underperforming units. It will not renew the lease for its 108,000-sf Northtown unit in Buffalo, NY, which expires this year, and it has entered into an agreement to sell its 102,500-sf Irondequoit store in Rochester, NY. The buyer of the Irondequoit unit is Bersin Properties LLC, which acquired the Irondequoit Mall two years ago and has renamed it Medley Centre. The price tag for the Bon-Ton unit sale is undisclosed.

These follow the disposition of three stores during fourth-quarter 2006 along with a distribution center in Iowa. The company "continually reviews the performance of all its assets," says Byron Bergren, president and CEO, in a statement. The recent sales and closings take the Bon-Ton's unit count to 280, which operate under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers and Parisian nameplates.

Phases one and two of the Carson's integration are complete ahead of schedule, management reported during a conference call. "This is a long-term story, and we're in the first chapter," said Keith Plowman, EVP and CFO.