CRYSTAL LAKE – Toys R Us plans to close its Crystal Lake store, but city officials say they already have a national retailer ready to take over that space and the adjacent former Marshall's store in 2015.

Toys R Us will shutter its 30,000-square-foot store at 6120-A Route 14 in the Commons of Crystal Lake at the end of January when its lease expires.

"We’ve enjoyed serving the Crystal Lake community for many years," company spokeswoman Alyssa Peera said in an email to the Northwest Herald.

The closure will affect 28 employees, but the company is "working diligently to place as many full- and part-time employees as possible from the Crystal Lake store at our other locations in the area," Peera said.

Gift cards can be redeemed at the Crystal Lake store until it closes at the end of January. After that, gift cards can be used at other Toys R Us or Babies R Us locations or online. Items bought during the liquidation sale cannot be returned. Items bought before the liquidation sale started Dec. 26 can be returned under the company's normal return policy guidelines, Peera said.

A national retailer plans to fill both the 30,000-square-foot Toys R Us space and the vacant neighboring 28,441 space that was formerly occupied by Marshall's, said Michelle Rentzsch, Crystal Lake's community development director. She declined to name the retailer, but said it would open in 2015.

The national retailer may be Burlington Coat Factory, but city officials were unable to confirm this Wednesday.

A message left at company's corporate office in Burlington, New Jersey, wasn't returned late Wednesday afternoon. Burlington has more than 520 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico, according to its website.

A leasing agent for the shopping center, which is owned by Brixmor Property Group Inc., wasn't immediately available for comment on changes at the property Wednesday.

Toys R Us Inc. has a side-by-side Toys R Us and Babies R Us store on Randall Road in Algonquin.

The 273,060-square-foot Commons of Crystal Lake shopping center is anchored by Hobby Lobby and Jewel-Osco. It also includes Harbor Freight Tools, Charter Fitness, Hallmark, Advanced Auto Parts, Gipper Formal Wear, and Bath & Body Works along with several other stores, restaurants and medical facilities. The latest addition to the Commons of Crystal Lake is Xtreme Nutrition & Smoothies, which opened a 1,260-square-foot store next to Charter Fitness in late November 2014. The Commons draws an average of more than 26,000 customers a week, according to Brixmor's website.