Retailers are closing thousands of stores. Seph Lawless

Source: www.businessinsider.com, July 2019


  • More than 7,500 stores are expected to close in 2019.
  • The discount chain Fred’s said Friday that it would close another 129 stores, bringing its total number of store closures this year to 441.
  • Charlotte RusseFamily Dollar, and Chico’s recently announced more than 1,100 store closures in a span of 24 hours.
  • Payless has said it plans to close all of its 2,500 stores in what could be the largest retail liquidation in history.

The staggering rate of store closures that has rocked the retail industry over the past couple of years is expected to continue in 2019, with roughly the same level of closures expected this year.

Retailers closed a record 102 million square feet of store space in 2017, then smashed that record in 2018 by closing another 155 million square feet, according to estimates by the commercial real-estate firm CoStar Group.

“This year we are predicting more of the same in the retail space,” CoStar senior consultant Drew Myers said.

Retailers have announced more than 7,500 store closures so far this year, according to an analysis by Business Insider.

Here’s a list of all the stores closing this year:

Payless ShoeSource: 2,500 stores

Payless ShoeSource: 2,500 stores
A Payless ShoeSource store in the Manhattan borough of New York.
 Damian Dovarganes/AP

Payless filed for bankruptcy in February and said it planned to close all of its 2,500 stores in what could be the largest retail liquidation in history.

Gymboree: 805 stores

Gymboree Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and said it planned to close more than 800 stores under its Gymboree and Crazy 8 banners.

Gymboree previously filed for bankruptcy as recently as June 2017 and closed nearly 400 stores.

Dress Barn: 650 stores

Dress Barn: 650 storesGetty

Dress Barn, which is owned by Ascena Retail Group, announced in May that it was shutting down all of its 650 stores.

“For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women’s fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers,” Dress Barn CFO Steven Taylor said. “This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.”

Charlotte Russe: 520 stores

Charlotte Russe: 520 storesBusiness Insider/Mary Hanbury

Charlotte Russe kicked off closing sales at 94 stores in February, after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In March, the company announced that it would liquidate its remaining 416 Charlotte Russe stores and 10 Peek Kids stores.

Family Dollar: 390 stores

Family Dollar: 390 storesBusiness Insider/Mary Hanbury

Dollar Tree said in March that it plans to convert about 200 Family Dollar stores into Dollar Tree stores, and close up to 390 additional stores under the Family Dollar brand.

Shopko: 371 stores

Shopko: 371 storesShopko

Shopko filed for bankruptcy in January and said it would close 251 stores. The company said in March that it had failed to find a buyer for its business, and would liquidate its remaining 120 stores.

Fred’s: 441 stores

Fred's: 441 storesAP

Discount chain Fred’s announced in April that it would close 159 stores by the end of May. In May, the company said it would closeanother 104 stores. In June, Fred’s announced plans to close another 49 stores. In July, the company said it would close 129 stores. After all those closures, the company will have about 80 stores remaining.

Charming Charlie: 261 stores

Charming Charlie: 261 storesCharming Charlie

Charming Charlie, which sells jewelry and accessories, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July and said it plans to close all of its 261 stores in 38 states by the end of August.

Chico’s: 250 stores

Chico's: 250 storesAP

The women’s clothing retailer Chico’s said in March that it would close 100 Chico’s stores, 90 White House Black Market stores, and 60 Soma stores over the next three years.

Gap: 230 stores

Gap: 230 storesBusiness Insider/Jessica Tyler

Gap said Thursday that it would close 230 namesake stores over the next two years as it reported that the brand’s same-store sales fell 7% during the holiday quarter. The company also said it would spin off its Old Navy brand.

LifeWay: 170 stores

LifeWay: 170 storesLifeWay

LifeWay Christian Resources said in March that it planned to close all 170 of its stores. The Nashville-based company said it will continue to sell Bibles, books, children’s products, church supplies, and Christian music and movies on its website.

Performance Bicycle: 102 stores

Performance Bicycle’s parent company, Advanced Sports Enterprises, filed for bankruptcy protection in November and later announced that it would close all 102 of its stores.

Sears: 70 stores

Sears: 70 stores
Barry Brecheisen/Invision for Sears/AP Images

Sears Holdings, which owns Sears and Kmart stores, emerged from bankruptcy in February after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October.

Destination Maternity: 42-67 stores

Destination Maternity: 42-67 storesDestination Maternity

Destination Maternity plans to close between 42 and 67 stores this year.