The 2020 Retail Apocalypse Claims Ann Taylor and 52 More of Your Favorite Brands
On July 23, Ascena Retail Group, which owns brands such as Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, filed for bankruptcy. The company stated it would close all of its Catherines stores, a “significant number” of its Justice stores and “a select number of Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores.” It also announced that the company would no longer have a presence in Canada, Puerto Rico or Mexico across all of its brands.
Ascena is just the latest victim of the so-called “retail apocalypse” — the widespread erasure of brick-and-mortar stores. It all started with the advent of online shopping, with Amazon, in particular, dominating the retail sector. COVID-19 has only made things worse. In fact, a recent report from Coresight Research warned that as many as 25,000 stores could be closing — permanently — because of the pandemic.
To quantify the depth of the carnage, GOBankingRates researched which retailers have experienced a severe decline in sales and announced permanent store closures. The study is presented in two sections: companies that will not have locations left and companies that will have locations left. Note, there are 13 companies that will have zero stores remaining.
Though some of these stores will surely survive — Americans love to shop, after all — for others, the announcement of mass closures are the final nail in the coffin. Read on to discover if your favorite stores will be gone forever.
Last updated: July 27, 2020
Companies That Will Not Have Locations Left
These companies plan to close all of their locations permanently. They are in order from highest to lowest number of stores that are still open. Four of the companies — A.C. Moore, Art Van Furniture, Destination Maternity and Papyrus — no longer have any locations left and are included at the end.
New York & Company
Number of closures announced: 378
Number of stores currently open: 378
How many stores will be left: 0
Catherines
Number of closures announced: 320
Number of stores currently open: 320
How many stores will be left: 0
Heritage Brands
Number of closures announced: 162
Number of stores currently open: 162
How many stores will be left: 0
Bose
Number of closures announced: 119
Number of stores currently open: 119
How many stores will be left: 0 (in the U.S.)
Modell's
Number of closures announced: 153
Number of stores currently open: 117
How many stores will be left: 0
Wilson's Leather
Number of closures announced: 110
Number of stores currently open: 99
How many stores will be left: 0
G.H. Bass
Number of closures announced: 89
Number of stores currently open: 89
How many stores will be left: 0
Microsoft
Number of closures announced: 83
Number of stores currently open: 83
How many stores will be left: 0
Lord + Taylor
Number of closures announced: 38
Number of stores currently open: 38
How many stores will be left: 0
A. C. Moore
Number of closures announced: 145
Number of stores currently open: 0
How many stores will be left: 0
Editor’s note: Up to 40 locations may become Michaels stores.
Art Van Furniture
Number of closures announced: 125
Number of stores currently open: 0
How many stores will be left: 0
Destination Maternity
Number of closures announced: 435
Number of stores currently open: 0
How many stores will be left: 0
Papyrus
Number of closures announced: 254
Number of stores currently open: 0
How many stores will be left: 0
Companies That Will Have Locations Left
Though they have announced closures, these companies plan to keep at least a few stores open. They have been put in order from lowest to highest number of locations that will remain. In some cases, only a handful of stores are left, but in others, such as Starbucks or Family Dollar, thousands of stores will stick around.
Lou & Grey
Number of closures announced: 8
Number of stores currently open: 11
How many stores will be left: 3
Kmart
Number of closures announced: 45
Number of stores currently open: 34
How many stores will be left: 34
Neiman Marcus
Number of closures announced: 22
Number of stores currently open: 65
How many stores will be left: 43
Bloomingdale's
Number of closures announced: 1
Number of stores currently open: 56
How many stores will be left: 55
Sears
Number of closures announced: 51
Number of stores currently open: 118
How many stores will be left: 67
Sur La Table
Number of closures announced: 51
Number of stores currently open: 121
How many stores will be left: 70
Olympia Sports
Number of closures announced: 76
Number of stores currently open: 151
How many stores will be left: 75
Nordstrom
Number of closures announced: 16
Number of stores currently open: 116
How many stores will be left: 100
J. Crew
Number of closures announced: 8
Number of stores currently open: 181
How many stores will be left: 173
Editor’s note: The eight store closures were announced when J. Crew declared bankruptcy in May. However, the company has closed several stores since 2018.
Lucky Brand
Number of closures announced: 13
Number of stores currently open: 200
How many stores will be left: 187
Brooks Brothers
Number of closures announced: 51
Number of stores currently open: 250
How many stores will be left: 199
Justice
Number of closures announced: 600
Number of stores currently open: 826
How many stores will be left: 226
Ann Taylor
Number of closures announced: 38
Number of stores currently open: 291
How many stores will be left: 253
Express
Number of closures announced: 100
Number of stores currently open: 526
How many stores will be left: 426
Tuesday Morning
Number of closures announced: 230
Number of stores currently open: 700
How many stores will be left: 470
Pier 1 Imports
Number of closures announced: 450
Number of stores currently open: 950
How many stores will be left: 500
Lane Bryant
Number of closures announced: 150
Number of stores currently open: 688
How many stores will be left: 538
Forever 21
Number of closures announced: 178 (in the U.S.)
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 800
How many stores will be left: 622
Loft
Number of closures announced: 30
Number of stores currently open: 666
How many stores will be left: 636
JCPenney
Number of closures announced: 152
Number of stores currently open: 846
How many stores will be left: 694
The Children's Place
Number of closures announced: 200
Number of stores currently open: 920
How many stores will be left: 720
Signet Jewelers
Number of closures announced: 300 (globally)
Number of stores currently open: 1,100
How many stores will be left: 800
Editor’s note: Signet Jewelers owns the following stores: Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, H. Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples and Piercing Pagoda.
Bed Bath & Beyond
Number of closures announced: 200
Number of stores currently open: 1,024
How many stores will be left: 824
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Victoria's Secret
Number of closures announced: 250
Number of stores currently open: 1,128
How many stores will be left: 878
Tailored Brands
Number of closures announced: 500
Number of stores currently open: 1,450
How many stores will be left: 950
Editor’s note: Tailored Brands owns Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse.
Chico's
Number of closures announced: 250
Number of stores currently open: 1,341
How many stores will be left: 1,181
Office Depot
Number of closures announced: 90
Number of stores currently open: 1,295
How many stores will be left: 1,290
GameStop
Number of closures announced: 320
Number of stores currently open: 5,500
How many stores will be left: 5,180
Editor’s note: The 320 store closures are in addition to 321 stores closed in 2019.
AT&T
Number of closures announced: 250
Number of stores currently open: 5,821
How many stores will be left: 5,571
Zara
Number of closures announced: 1,200
Number of stores currently open: 7,500
How many stores will be left: 6,300
GNC
Number of closures announced: 800
Number of stores currently open: 7,300
How many stores will be left: 6,500
Walgreens
Number of closures announced: 200
Number of stores currently open: 9,277
How many stores will be left: 9,077
Christopher & Banks
Number of closures announced: 30 to 40
Number of stores currently open: 445
How many stores will be left: 421 to 431
Guess
Number of closures announced: 100
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 1,110
How many stores will be left: Approximately 1,010
Starbucks
Number of closures announced: 400
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 15,000
How many stores will be left: Approximately 14,600
Hallmark
Number of closures announced: 16
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 2,000
How many stores will be left: Approximately 2,000
Gap
Number of closures announced: 230
Number of stores currently open: 2,800
How many stores will be left: Approximately 2,700
Macy's
Number of closures announced: 125
Number of stores currently open: 555
How many stores will be left: Approximately 400
Family Dollar
Number of closures announced: 390
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 8,000
How many stores will be left: Approximately 7,500 to 8,000
CVS
Number of closures announced: 22
Number of stores currently open: Approximately 9,900
How many stores will be left: Approximately 9,900
Editor’s note: The 22 store closures are in addition to 46 stores closed in 2019.
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John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.
Methodology: GOBankingRates, sourced retailers that have recently (mid- to late-2019 to present day) announced store closures. From this list of retailers, GOBankingRates found (1) number of announced store closures; (2) number of stores currently still open as of July 23, 2020; and (3) number of stores that will remain open after closures go into effect. All data was collected and is up to date as of July 27, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The 2020 Retail Apocalypse Claims Ann Taylor and 52 More of Your Favorite Brands
