More than 6,200 stores are closing in 2019 as the retail apocalypse drags on -- here's the full list

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

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

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

-snip-

Retailers have announced more than 6,200 store closures so far this year, according to an analysis by Business Insider.

Click ahead to see a list of all the stores closing this year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/more-than-6200-stores-are-closing-in-2019-as-the-retail-apocalypse-drags-on--heres-the-full-list/ss-BBUhFz3?li=BBnbfcN

[kimbutgar]

1. But but the economy is the greatest ever!!!!

How could this be?

[msongs]

2. all that retail space can be used to shelter houseless, create new schools et etc etc nt

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. You CANNOT be serious!

I’m sorry, and I know your heart is in the right place, but retail space makes REALLY crappy homeless shelters and barely better for much else, not to mention there isn’t nearly the demand for the uses you suggest to possibly fill the millions of square feet of this sort of space.

Most stores are designed with two bathrooms at most and very little plumbing needed to service more than a few staff and an occasional customer.

Just because a space Isn’t being used for its original purpose, doesn’t mean it is immediately useful (or even EVER useful) for a completely unrelated task.

“All that space...”. A significant portion of it will never serve another purpose and will likely be torn down and the land allowed to go fallow. The retail sector simply overbuilt and they are trying to sell to a financially stressed population with stagnant wages.

A few years back there was a thread on DU about the numerous Aircraft Carriers the navy has pulled out of service.

Someone suggested they be used to house the homeless.

This is a perfect example of what I am trying to point out. An Aircraft Carrier would make a HORRIBLE place to live and to suggest otherwise displays a massive lack of understanding how these sorts of things are designed.

[shanti]

6. All I can say is

any of those places would be better than living under an overpass.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Well, of course!

But the fact is, people need operating toilets and running water if they are going to live in such a place.

Look...I get the sentiment, OK? I’m just pointing out that it is impractical unless a major refit is done and then it is staffed and budgeted properly.

Otherwise...what? Let them be squatters?

[Hortensis]

18. Not for long. Many people avoid shelters for good reason,

and it's not the good intentions of those who open them. This is a very complex problem, and Heretic is right. Some are seemingly successfully being repurposed to meet current needs of surrounding communities for such things as centers of community entertainment, office space, even church ministries, but also multi-use, retail, office, entertainment, adding residential units for people.

But most will be teardowns. Don't know about malls, but for example last time I read about supermarket-anchored strip malls the average economic life was about 10 years. (!) When the anchor tenant goes,...well there are only so many Good Wills to move in, decline sets in, and eventually the property is, hopefully, redeveloped.

My ideal use where malls are adequately located, which is not that often, would be as park and community amenity space for suburban areas lacking a center, the "no there there" areas that need to become communities. But that's that location-location-location thing. Magic when it comes together right.

[Lordquinton]

23. Sure, all the workers that used to work there

Can now live there.

[appalachiablue]

36. +1 squatters

[appalachiablue]

37. *THE LIST: Name, No. of Stores Closing 2019, Business Insider Link above

SEE: Slides/LIST of Stores: More Details, some state locations with Slides,
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/more-than-6200-stores-are-closing-in-2019-as-the-retail-apocalypse-drags-on-%E2%80%94-heres-the-full-list/ss-BBUhFz3#image=32

- Store List & No. of Closings 2019: -

Payless Shoes: 2,500 stores closing

Gymboree: 805

Charlotte Russe: 520

Family Dollar: 390

Shopko: 371

Chico's: 250

Gap: 230

LifeWay: 170

Fred's: 159

Performance Bicycle: 102

Sears: 70

Destination Maternity: 42-67

Victoria's Secret: 53

Office Depot & Office Max: 50

Kmart: 50

CVS Health: 46

Party City: 45

Pier 1 Imports: 45

Abercrombie & Fitch: 40

Bed, Bath & Beyond: 40

Christopher & Banks: 30-40

JC Penney: 27

Beauty : 25

Henri Bendel: 23

J. Crew: 7

Kohl's: 4

Nordstrom's: 3

Lowe's: 20

Z Gallerie: 17

Walmart: 12

Macy's: 9

[appalachiablue]

40. *2018 More Than 3,800 RETAIL STORE CLOSURES* Business Insider, April 2018:

https://www.businessinsider.com/stores-closing-in-2018-2017-12

More than 3,800 stores are closing in 2018.
• Walgreens, Toys R Us, and Gap are among the many retailers expected to shutter hundreds of stores this year.

The record-high rate of store closures that rocked the retail industry last year has continued into 2018, with more than 3,800 closures expected this year, according to an analysis by Business Insider.

Walgreens, Toys R Us, and Gap are among the many retailers that will shutter hundreds of stores in 2018.

Many stores have already closed or are on the verge of shutting down. Walmart, for example, closed 63 Sam's Club stores earlier this year. Toys R Us is in the process of liquidating all of its 735 US stores after an unsuccessful attempt to restructure the business through bankruptcy. Those closures are expected to be completed within weeks.

[smirkymonkey]

46. Well, at least Life Way is closing 170 stores.

I suppose that's the silver lining in all this.

[llmart]

48. Oh no!

Whereever will I get the cross to hang over my bed?

[Wellstone ruled]

4. This Year should be the Final Nail in

Sears/K Mart for one. Watch for a couple of Grocery Chains to go into Bankruptcy never to return. And others to close the number of Stores that are in what they call distressed Neighborhoods.

Keep a close eye on Macy's as well as Penney's.

[Jake Stern]

8. Always found it a bit ironic

that Sears, a company that was well known as a mail order retailer, didn't embrace online sales until relatively late in the game.

Still believe that if they had moved away from brick and mortar to online catalog sales much earlier they'd still be going strong today.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Lampert is using a Libertarian

Supply Side Business Model. Make money with someone else's money knowing full well the BK Courts are his life line.

And yes,if they had used a Internet Model with all the Regional Warehousing they had in place,Amazon would not be a threat.

Watch the Midwest for Amazon to raise holy hell with Retail Groceries. With the Purchase of Super Valu's Regional Distribution Centers,which are considered the most efficient in the Wholesale Grocery Sector,to take out a couple Retailers in Wisconsin,Ohio,and Pennsylvanian.

[GP6971]

32. Unfi announced that

2 Distribution Centers in Tacoma and Auburn Washington and 1 in Portland Oregon will be closing and replacing them with a new DC in WA.

Be interesting to see what happens with Cub Foods, which at the time I worked for SV in the 90s, was considered their retail gem.

[Captain Stern]

65. We're on the same page.

I know it's probably not as easy as I think it should have been, but it seems to me like Sears could have been Amazon.

Even before the Internet, you could order from Sears, and have what you ordered delivered to your home. Even if you lived in "One Traffic Light, USA", you could get the catalog, and order whatever you wanted, and you'd get it.

Hell, there was a point you could order homes from Sears, and have them delivered to the place you wanted your home to be.

When Amazon was starting up by just selling books, Sears was selling everything. They already had distribution centers, and all that other shit you need to deliver stuff.....and Sears didn't adapt at all.

[dalton99a]

5. Kick

[The Genealogist]

7. Several of the 6200 stores mentioned in that article are going to close locally

I know we are losing a JC Penney Home Store, all Payless are going away, we've lost one CVS (it was the largest store the company ran) so far. Probably others too. As for locally owned businesses, we have a grocery chain that has closed at least three stores in town in less than a year. It is a rather poorly run business, from what I gather, and I think that has more than anything to do with its closing.

[demosincebirth]

11. Breaking up Amazon would be a good start.

[MineralMan]

14. Amazon is not on that list.

On the other hand, I know of half a dozen retail stores that have shut down their brick-and-mortar locations and are now selling on the Amazon platform exclusively. Some are doing very well; others are faring poorly.

America's retail shopping methods have changed, probably forever. They aren't going to stores for what they need. Instead, they're using their cell phones or computers to find products, which get delivered to them within two days, or even the same day.

For example, my wife ordered a new iPad a couple of days ago from an Amazon third-party vendor. It arrived this morning. However, it is thinner than her old iPad 2 and slightly different in other dimensions, so it won't fit in the case she has. So, she went back on Amazon and searched for a new one that had the features she liked in her old one. She ordered it about 11 AM this morning, and it was delivered a few minutes ago by a gig-economy delivery guy. Same day delivery was an option for over 25 cases to fit her new iPad.

Now, she could have gone to Best Buy near us, in about 15 minutes, and probably would have found a case that fit, but her selection would have been limited. As it turned out, the new case is just like her old case, with the features she likes. Would she have found that at Best Buy? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. But she found exactly what she wanted while sitting at her computer and someone brought it to her, so she didn't have to start the car and drive to Best Buy.

That is why retail stores are closing. Is it Amazon's fault? Not really. Online stores have been around now for almost 20 years. If it wasn't Amazon, it would be some other shopping site. Heck, I had an online store in 1997, selling mineral specimens to collectors all over the world. It was a clumsy store, since there were no shopping cart systems at the time. People emailed me their credit card numbers or used PayPal, later. But, they shopped on my little website and I made a living from it.

Did she pay less than she would have at Best Buy? I don't know. Very possibly. Does Best Buy offer same day delivery? It does not. So, my wife bought both her new iPad and a case for it via Amazon. The iPad came in two days, and the case the same day. She didn't have to drive anywhere, which is good, because she is going on a trip Tuesday and needs to finish some work projects.

Stores are closing because people are shopping differently than they used to. That's not Amazon's fault. It's the Internet. If it weren't Amazon, it would be someone else. She also shops at Wayfair, Target, and even Walmart online. They deliver, too. Why would you to to a store to shop? Makes no sense.

Amazon isn't the problem. Retail has simply changed, forever.

[demosincebirth]

38. Amazon keeps millions of customers sitting by their computors every day racking up charges without

stepping out of their houses and not patronizing local businesses and brick and mortar stores. On many purchases they don't even charge state taxes which deprive states of of billions of tax revenue. Now, you can even purchase all of your groceries on line from their recently purchased non-union grocery chain. This is just the tip of the iceberg/

[EX500rider]

52. "Amazon keeps millions of customers" I think u meant: "Millions of customers prefer shopping online"

[demosincebirth]

66. Nope. Thats not what I meant.

[EX500rider]

67. Well Amazon doesn't "keep" it's customers anywhere, they have free will to do as they please. nt

[SoCalNative]

55. Or you can use InstaCart

for grocery delivery with delivery same day within a few hours from the time your order is placed as well. So it's not just Amazon.

[former9thward]

15. Why? For what purpose?

To make things inconvenient again?

[RandySF]

29. How does that prevent the stores from selling online?

[Initech]

12. Pretty soon it will be just a giant Amazon warehouse and a giant Costco warehouse.

The size of Kansas like in Idiocracy.

[demosincebirth]

39. You have to go to Costco. And besides, Costco pays good wages and benifits -many are union, too.

[TheBlackAdder]

13. White House / Black Market. Went in there for a white dress with daughter-they did not have white.

.

They only had one white top, that was it. Everything else was colors. Only a few black items.

Talk about completely abandoning the one thing that defines your name and sets you apart from others.


They were now like every other shitty store, with fugazi brands and average quality.

I remember when they started out, they sold Black & White clothing that was high to mid-range quality.

The store manager said that, in the summer they will get some white merchandise in.


Why the fuck is is called White House & Black market again?

.

[MineralMan]

16. You can find hundreds of black or white dresses on Amazon.

And that's why retail stores are closing. They're never out of stock. They're never out of season. Your size is always available, too. Free delivery. Free returns. Unlimited selection.

That's why Amazon is huge. People like shopping that way. They can always find what they want without going anywhere at all.

[TheBlackAdder]

17. The way Amazon treats employees in South Jersey -- Eff the Skull of Amazon!

[MineralMan]

19. So, no white dress for your daughter?

[TheBlackAdder]

20. We went to 2 malls and 5 shopping centers and finally found it at the last store in the 2nd mall.

.

We were leaving and said, let's try this one. It was a small chain and they had one dress.

This was in March of this year. We found an off-white dress, which wouldn't have made it. e were told no off-white dresses.

The dress was required for a school function, and was told to us 4 days before the event.

.

[MineralMan]

21. An hour on Amazon and you would have found exactly what you wanted.

Two day delivery. If you knew your daughter's size, you'd have gotten just what you needed. That's why people use Amazon instead of going to to 2 malls and 5 shopping centers and still not finding anything.

I'll assume your daughter is a tween. Go here:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tween+white+dress

Younger than that?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=girls+white+dress

Is she a teenager?

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=teen+white+dress


I mean, really...

[TheBlackAdder]

22. She's 19 and it was for a college function.

[MineralMan]

24. Ok. Same thing.

Amazon has white dresses. Even if local stores don't. That's true of everything. Need a gas tank
fuel valve for a 25 year old Honda 4-trak? The local Honda dealer is out of stock, and it will take a couple of weeks to order it. Amazon has several vendors who have one, and will overnight it to you if you need it NOW. For 25% of the dealer price.

You can literally get anything you need, right now. Or you can wait or get the brush-off from a local store. It's up to you, really.

That's why people have stopped going to local stores.

[TheBlackAdder]

44. See my reply below to Randy. A Honda part is not the same thing as short notice women's clothing.

.

Now, sometimes when you order those parts, you are getting knockoff or grey market parts that might not be an exact fit or have the same material properties as an OEM part from the dealer. It's just like laptop batteries. Most of them sold on the major online auction houses are knockoff Chinese imports that look so close to the original part that sometimes even the dealers get fooled. BoingBoing did a whole thing on this a few years back, traveling to China and witnessing this going down on the street at night in a manufacturing district. Folks buying those batteries often do not have the safety counter which disables them after so many recharges to prevent fires. Others will get batteries and find that they die within six months. Just because stuff is sold online, and sold thought Amazon, does not mean it's legit. I've gotten several items that were "re-gifted" and reused while being sold as new, and I did not return them because they was still functional.

Some pictures from BuzzFeed:

















.

[RandySF]

30. You just made the case for online shopping.

[TheBlackAdder]

43. She needed the dress in a couple of days, and there is no guarantee on online shopping.

.

I've ordered several things from Amazon's retailer network and found that they were previously used and repackaged.

My kids have tried online dress shopping before and the clothes that they would often get would be damaged or irregular in some manner. There are several large women's stores who sell their irregulars by mail, knowing that many people will not go through the hassle of returning them. These are clothes that sold in the stores and were rejected by the customers for whatever reason, and find themselves in the mail order end as a quick way to dispose of them and still make near retail profit from them.


Also, I guess you don't go out shopping with women often, as many of the clothes for them are not cut the same, even if the size states the same. Different clothing companies use different patterns or dummies when cutting and sewing clothing to give the illusion of slimness. I've rarely seen my wife, my three daughters, or my sisters walk into a store and find something that fits on first try.

.

[Phentex]

47. Unless it was gloves or something, I could never order online...

with the exception of a store brand whose fit I know pretty well and even then, it's hard because of all of the reasons you mention. Hell, in that same store, the pants run differently from style to style. There is no way I'd order clothes from Amazon. I think I may have ordered a t shirt to wear to a march or something but I would hesitate to order something I really needed.

[Codeine]

61. The warehouse that supplied the store

you shop at is likely functionally similar to the Amazon fulfillment centers, but oftentimes providing a lower pay rate.

Warehouse work is hot, hectic, and stressful regardless of the name plastered across the sides of the big rigs backing into the docks. Pretending otherwise is merely willful blindness.

[TheBlackAdder]

64. My father used to own a material handling company and I was these companies first hand.

.

I was never in a facility that makes workers compete against each other, restrict bathroom access so they wear Depends.

.

[DeminPennswoods]

25. The problem with online shopping

is that you can't tell what exactly you are getting. This is especially true with clothes. You can read the description of the item and material, but you can't feel the fabric or assess the fit. Returning an item isn't always easy or free. For non-clothing items, you can't tell if they are well-made or cheaply made. Often, it's
like buying a pig in a poke.

[catrose]

27. Yes. You can find photos all over the net of what people thought they were getting vs. what they got

Ivanka supposedly had her dresses made high-quality, perfect fit--for her. The versions she sold under her name were cheesy knockoffs.

[Dem2theMax]

33. Exactly. I have to try on EVERYTHING before purchasing.

I don't have a stick figure. I have been like this since I was a child. I dreaded the 'going back to school' shopping spree with my Mom every year. I would have to try on at least 10 outfits before I could find one that would fit. And I wasn't obese. I had muscles and curves. Was always a very athletic kid.

I refuse to purchase clothing or shoes online. It is NOT easy to return items. Lots of times, places will give you free shipping to get the items to you, but if they don't fit, you are going to pay big time to return them.

Hopefully, I will be dead long before all shopping is done online. If not, I'll be living in sweats for the rest of my life!

[JustAnotherGen]

34. Thank you

I'm very particular about fabric and fit. I don't really like buying clothing online.

[womanofthehills]

41. I live in a very rural place, so online shopping is a must

I buy everything - shoes, clothes, pet food, art supplies, fabric, household stuff, etc. from Amazon. If you know what brands you like and read the reviews you will have more success in what you buy. I basically buy the same brands of shoes over and over. Amazon Prime makes returning stuff no hassle. I'm an avid reader, and get all my books from Audible too.

UPS and the PO don't even deliver to my house - the driver says he could not deliver to everyone in one day - going down all the rural roads - so we pick up our stuff at the hardware store and the hardware store is 12 miles from my house. Still, it's better than driving 45 miles one way to a Walmart and 90 miles to Albuquerque. Because of this, I have become a really good online shopper. A good tip on buying on Amazon is to put stuff in your basket and not buy it. Watch the prices change up and down and not buy until they go low.

[DeminPennswoods]

49. Your regular mail delivery is at a hardware store?

That's interesting.

[marybourg]

53. In NM there are people that have to drive

2-3 hours to their road-side mailbox. Re-read the first line of the post you responded to.

[DeminPennswoods]

58. If you drive to a hardware store, does that

mean the nearest town is 12 miles away from where you are? It sounds very isolated.

[marybourg]

60. I'm not the poster you want tp address.

[Codeine]

62. When I was a kid

in the 70s all of our mail got delivered to the nearest general store, which was about a half-hour drive from the house. The nearest actual town with post offices and regular mail delivery and whatnot was well over an hour away. About four miles away there was a store where we could do light shopping.

[USALiberal]

42. I have returned at least a dozen items and it was easy and free. Nt

[NickB79]

63. Starting this summer, Kohl's is taking Amazon returns

Get something the wrong size on Amazon? Just take it to Kohl's and they'll return it for you.

[RandySF]

26. Some of these store never made sense.

Who goes to Gymboree?

[catrose]

28. Really. Baby workout clothes?

[JustAnotherGen]

35. No not gym clothes

I used to shop there for my nieces and nephews when they were little. Cute clothes, that are sturdy and made for good hand me downs.

[Tree-Hugger]

57. Parents

They were pricey, but they did have good sales. Those clothes were damn sturdy and made to last. Gymboree clothes were a very hot resale gig for parents for many many years because the clothes were durable and adorable.

[JI7]

31. many of those businesses have themselves to blame

Sears especially .

[DemocraticSocialist8]

45. The internet has taken over commerce...e-commerce is more efficient and quicker for most people

This is just technology having an impact. It's not JUST Amazon, it's the entire e-Commerce ecosystem that is putting pressure on the department stores and other stores as well. Small businesses can now compete with large multi-billion dollar companies, many of whom never properly transitioned to e-Commerce online and didn't change with the time. Some of these stores have changed with the times, and I'd imagine they're probably making more money online now than they are in their physical stores. You can't make people buy in-store anymore.

[Opel_Justwax]

50. Amazon retail department is losing money putting all these stores out of business n/t

[3catwoman3]

51. For me, clothing must be tried on. I have been known to...

...try on every item of the same size garment because there are differences in the fit of one even thought they are all, allegedly, the same size. Fabric feel is also important, as is the drape/hang of the piece. Some stuff looks great on a hanger or in the picture, and not at all flattering once you put it on, and vice versa.

My closet is like an auxiliary Chico's boutique, and I would miss Bed, Bath & Beyond terribly if they all went away.

[Runningdawg]

54. Has anyone stopped to consider the effect the aging population has this issue?

I'm getting older AND I have COPD. My MIL, nearly the same age as me, has arthritis so bad she can barely walk.
We don't want to drive to the mall, hike to a door, walk a mile or two, all the while taking a chance on getting shot, just to buy a tube of lipstick at our fav store.
Ditto with drug stores. I don't want to walk through 5 depts at the Super Walmart or all the way to the back of the CVS or Walgreens in order to buy a pair of compression stockings.
I either find small mom and pop stores that can supply my needs, or I buy it online.

[moose65]

56. You know, I get that!

I understand about the convenience, and even being able to find obscure shit that no store ever keeps in stock. At the same time, though, I'm not sure if I want a future where there are few retail stores to go browse around in. Amazon is so huge now, isn't it the same as with the big banks? Too big to fail? In the next recession, will we be bailing out Amazon?

As you can tell, I'm conflicted!

[Xolodno]

59. Noticed that most of these stores are fashion related...

...a populace interested in fashion is a sign of a wealthy populace. The closure of all these stores isn't just a signal of changing buying habits...but a signal, there isn't much of a middle class anymore.