2019 Store Closures: Complete List Of Retailers Closing Locations

With 2019 well over half over, the number of retailers that have closed their doors has grown significantly. As these retailers struggle to gain customers, brick-and-mortar stores are going to the wayside as more companies look to compete in the e-commerce space. Here’s a current list of retailers that have closed stores so far in 2019.

Walmart

Walmart quietly closed at least 15 stores in the U.S. and Canada, including its Supercenters and Neighborhood Market locations in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, California, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Washington, Business Insider reported. A full list of closures can be found here.

Kohl’s

Kohl’s reportedly closed four locations in Rego Park, New York; Valley Stream, New York; Lenexa, Kansas; and Bayou Cane, Louisiana, in 2019. The company also consolidated three customer service and operation centers into two locations. However, the retailer said it would open four new stores during the year.

Macy’s

Macy’s closed 13 stores in 2019 and said in 2016 that it would close as many 100 as their leases expire, Business Insider reported. Stores were closed in Northbrook, Illinois, Seattle, Washington; Orem, Utah; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Casper, Wyoming; Redmond, Washington; Sunnyvale, California; Los Angeles, California; Indianapolis; Swansea, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia; Nanuet, New York; and Charleston, West Virginia.

Avenue

Plus-sized clothing retailer Avenue closed all 222 of its stores and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August. The company has already begun liquidation sales and is looking for a buyer for its e-commerce business.

Sears

Sears new parent company, Transform Co. announced that it would be closing 21 Sears stores in October. Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in October 2018. A full list of closures can be found here.

Kmart

Like Sears, Kmart also wasn’t immune from store closures. Transform Co. announced that five Kmart stores would be closing in October. A full list of closures can be found here.

Dressbarn

As part of its wind-down strategy, Dressbarn will close 53 stores by the end of August. Its parent company Ascena Retail Group said that the company would eventually close all 650 of its locations. A full list of closures can be found here.

Fred’s

Fred’s closed a total of 282 stores over the course of 2019. The announcement to close its stores was made in three rounds, with the latest release including 129 locations that would be shuttered by the retailer. A full list of closures can be found here.

Charming Charlie

Charming Charlie said that it would close all 261 of its stores by Aug. 31 as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, USA Today reported. The stores have already begun their going out of business sales.

Pier 1

In 2019, Pier 1 Imports closed a total of 102 stores. A total of 45 locations were closed in April with another 57 reported to close by the end of fiscal year 2019. The company also said that its store closures could extend as high as 145 locations.

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond announced that it would be closing approximately 40 stores but said at the same time it would be opening 15 new locations. The news came as the home goods retailer reported mixed earnings in Q4 2018.

Office Depot

Office Depot also closed stores in 2019, announcing 50 location that would shutter its doors by the end of the year. Closures included both Office Depot and OfficeMax and would extend to about 300 stores over the next three years, the company said. A list of closures can be found here.

JC Penney

Following JC Penney’s January announcement that it would close three stores, it said it would shutter another 27 locations with most slated to close by July 5. The closures included 18 full-line department stores and nine home and furniture stores. A list of closures can be found here.

Shopko

Shopko closed all its stores in June after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. The company initially said it was only closing only 38 locations, but revised its announcement to include all of its stores later in March.

Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree will close as many as 390 Family Dollar stores in fiscal 219 as part of its store optimization plan. The company also closed 84 location in Q4 2018 that it said were underperforming.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch said it would close up to 40 stores by February 2019 during its Q4 earnings report. The company also closed 29 locations in 2018, taking its total store closures to 69. The retailer also announced that it would be adding 85 new stores experiences.

Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret also announced that it was closing stores, saying that 53 of its underperforming locations would shut their doors in 2019. Parent company L Brands said that as much as 3 percent of its North American stores would close during the year.

Charlotte Russe

Upon filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Charlotte Russe closed 94 of its store locations. The company made the announcement in February as it looked to sell off its business and assets.

Gymboree

Gymboree closed the majority of its 900 store locations amide its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The company sold rights to its Gymboree and Crazy 8 brands to Children’s Place.

Walgreens

Walgreens will close 200 of its pharmacies in the U.S. as part of an effort to save more than $1.5 billion. The company did not disclose the locations but said it would cause minimal disruption to its customers and patients.

GNC

GNC announced in July that it expected to close up to 900 stores due to low foot traffic in malls. The company said that 28 percent of its GNC stores were located in malls, where the majority of its closures would occur.

Kohl’s Off/Aisle

Kohl’s closed its three Off/Aisle locations in Wauwatosa, Brown Deer, and Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in August. Kohl’s Off/Aisle stores were part of an experimental store design to compete with other discount retailers.

J.Crew

J.Crew said it would close about 20 J.Crew and factory stores in 2019. The company closed 34 stores in 2018 as it shifted its focus to its Madewell brand.

Children’s Place

Children’s Place has plans to close 40 to 45 stores in 2019 after it purchased the rights to Gymboree and Crazy 8, which filed bankruptcy earlier in the year. The company has a multi-year program to close about 300 stores by 2020, it said.

CVS

CVS closed 46 underperforming stores in April and May as it turned its attention on health care services. The company also announced that it would be opening 1,500 HealthHUB stores by 2021. A list of store closures can be found here.

Kay Jewelers, Jared, And Zales

Signet Jewelers, the parent company of Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared, announced that it was closing 150 of stores. The retailer also closed 262 stores that were underperforming in malls and said more store closures would come after the 2019 holiday season.

Gap

Gap announced that it was closing 230 Gap-branded stores over the course of two years, as it looks to shift to online sales. According to the company, nearly 40 percent of its sales come from online purchases.

Payless ShoeSource

According to Reuters, Payless ShoeSource closed all 2,300 stores as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February.

H&M

H&M announced that it would be closing 160 stores globally in 2019. The store locations were not announced, but H&M said it was looking to optimize its retail business. At the same time, H&M said that it would open 365 locations in the same year outside the U.S.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom closed three stores in 2019, including locations in Norfolk, Virginia; Providence, Rhode Island; and Wellington, Florida. The stores were located with a mall facility.