Final sales as eight retailers plan to close stores by April – see if your city makes the list

EIGHT retailers announced closures during the month of April across the country.

The closures are happening as part of a larger trend as brick-and-mortar stores struggle to stay afloat – hundreds of locations closed in the past year and more are likely to come.

Stores are experiencing what some financial experts call a “retail apocalypse” as consumer demand declines amid record inflation.

At the same time, shoppers are turning to the convenience of shopping online rather than in brick-and-mortar stores, which struggle with too much supply and too little demand.

The US Sun has created a list of all the stores Americans will have to say goodbye to in April.

1. GAP

Gap, which also owns Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, said it will close about 50 stores in the coming months.

The company has been experiencing weak sales for several months and posted net losses of $273 million for its most recent quarter, which ended Jan. 28.

Like many companies, Gap has struggled to get inventory from manufacturers to ship during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This product backlog meant that by the time much of this clothing arrived, it was already out of season. Since then, Gap has had too many products on hand.

Despite the temporary difficulties, Gap plans to open around 30 new stores under its Old Navy and Athleta brands.

2. TUESDAY MORNING

After filing for bankruptcy, Tuesday Morning announced the upcoming closure of hundreds of stores.

The home goods store plans to auction more than 250 leases it has across the country as 263 stores are set to close.

“As part of its restructuring, Tuesday Morning is committed to optimizing its store footprint and focusing on its core markets,” said Todd Eyler, senior managing director of A&G.

“The company’s new management team believes that this targeted approach to closing unprofitable and underperforming stores, along with the variety of other measures taken to improve operations, will lift Tuesday Morning out of Chapter 11. with a profitable store fleet that serves its most committed and loyal customers.”

However, executives warned that other stores may close their stores “in the event that certain acceptable terms are not agreed with the owners”.

Big cities like Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Raleigh, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Diego, California; and Atlanta, Georgia will be hardest hit by the closures.

3. PARTY CITY

Since declaring bankruptcy in January, Party City has announced plans to close more than 20 stores.

The party supply retailer is closing 10 stores and auctioning off 12 stores in the coming weeks.

Since the pandemic, Party City has faced declining sales as it relied on social gatherings to generate revenue.

At the same time, soaring inflation worsened the company’s financial health.

4. BATH IN BED AND BEYOND

Bed Bath & Beyond announced on January 30 that it would continue to close 87 additional stores this year, until April.

The chain known for its popular household items is closing more than 100 stores nationwide.

A spokesperson for Bed Bath & Beyond told the US Sun, “As we continue to work with our advisors to consider multiple pathways, we are implementing actions to run our business as efficiently as possible.”

Last year, Bed Bath & Beyond announced that at least 120 of the 150 underperforming locations would close.

5.MACY’S

Despite Macy’s widespread fame, it is closing more than 120 stores this year.

In 2020, executives announced that 125 stores across the country would close over the next three years.

As a result, 2,000 employees will lose their jobs.

6. JCPENNEY

The popular department store declared bankruptcy in May 2020 and announced that it would close over 800 stores.

This was after the company acquired $4.5 billion in net losses since 2010.

Only 670 JCPenney locations exist today, and this spring stores in Oswego, New York, and Elkhart, Indiana, will also close permanently.

7. AMAZON GO

Following the trend of other grocery store closures, Amazon Go is closing six stores on April 1.

This includes two stores in New York and four in San Francisco.

Two Seattle Amazon Gos also said goodbye to their customers earlier this year.

“Like any brick-and-mortar retailer, we periodically evaluate our store portfolio and make optimization decisions along the way,” the company said, according to a statement to Neowin.

“We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the United States, and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers as we continue to evolve our Amazon Go stores.”

The company has gone through a period of transition as it laid off 18,000 employees in January.

8. STAPLES

In Staten Island, New York, Staples says goodbye to customers forever on April 14.

Before closing, shoppers will get 30% off in-store purchases.

Those who relied on the office supply store will now have to go to the Dongan Hills and Brooklyn locations.

Staples was already reducing its store base before the pandemic, closing more than 200 stores in the process.

When the coronavirus shifted work life from the office to the home, Staples sales plummeted.

Rival Office Depot will also be closing a store in Florida this month, another indicator that the post-pandemic era has not been kind to office supply bricks and mortar.

Even retail giant Target is shutting down in a weak sales location.

Meanwhile, an arts and crafts retailer struggles to stay alive after ending up on a bankruptcy watch list.