01/26/2015
Top Retailers Closing Doors in 2015
The last several years haven't been particularly kind to major clothing retailers – many brands that were once well-regarded are now closing stores, or closing up shop all together. Many blame trends and the rise of e-commerce, but others in the industry are saying that 2015 will be the make-it-or-break-it year. Retailers that cannot successfully complete an omnichannel transformation will begin to fade, while others that are ahead of the omnichannel curve will take the lead and prosper.
Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated, noted at last year's NRF Big Show that without a major reinvention, traditional malls will soon go extinct, "any time you stop building a product, that's usually the best indication that the customer doesn't want it anymore," he said.
Despite retailers shuttering stores, they aren't throwing in the towel just yet. Creating compelling experiences for brick-and-mortar shoppers is at the top of many retailers' To Do lists, with retailers brainstorming ways to integrate targeted mobile couponing and high-tech gadgets to entice shoppers who may have been lost to the Web.
Below are retailers (listed by number of store closings and date), including downsizing and company bankruptcies:
Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated, noted at last year's NRF Big Show that without a major reinvention, traditional malls will soon go extinct, "any time you stop building a product, that's usually the best indication that the customer doesn't want it anymore," he said.
Despite retailers shuttering stores, they aren't throwing in the towel just yet. Creating compelling experiences for brick-and-mortar shoppers is at the top of many retailers' To Do lists, with retailers brainstorming ways to integrate targeted mobile couponing and high-tech gadgets to entice shoppers who may have been lost to the Web.
Below are retailers (listed by number of store closings and date), including downsizing and company bankruptcies:
| Retailer: | Store Closings: | Completion: |
| Office Depot/OfficeMax | 400 | By 2016 |
| Wet Seal | 338 | |
| Deb Shops | 300 | |
| Body Central | 265 | |
| Staples | 225 | Through 2015 |
| Barnes & Noble | 223 | Through 2023 |
| RadioShack | 200 | Through 2017 |
| Abercrombie & Fitch | 180 | By 2015 |
| Aeropostale |
175 75 |
"Over the next several years" Through January 2015 |
| American Eagle Outfitters | 150 | Through 2017 |
| Target Canada (bankruptcy) | 133 | |
| Sears | 77 | 2015 |
| Coach | 70 | Fiscal 2015 |
| Pep Boys | 63 | "In the coming years" |
| Golf Galaxy | 54 | By 2016 |
| Express | 50 | Through 2015 |
| Guess | 50 | Through 2015 |
| JCPenney | 40 | |
| Build-A-Bear | 25 | Through 2015 |
| Macy's | 15 |