Bucking the trend in 2020, Kroger reported strong sales throughout the year, including a 14.6% rise in sales in the second quarter. Despite this, the company has announced that it will be shutting stores in California and Washington because of new district laws on hazard pay, where grocery workers must be paid extra to compensate for working on the frontline during the pandemic. It will close two Ralphs and one Food 4 Less in LA, one Food 4 Less and a Ralphs in Long Beach, California in April, and two QFC stores in Seattle. Instead of paying the additional $4 per hour to each member of staff, Kroger opted to shutter the stores altogether. Company spokespeople have said that the wage increases weren’t feasible as the sites had been struggling, despite the overall boom in sales and Kroger being the world’s largest grocery chain in terms of revenue.

Department store chain Century 21 revealed in September that it would be shutting all 13 of its stores on the East Coast. The company reported that it was filing for bankruptcy after its insurance provider declined to pay a $175 million claim to cover interruption to business triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. It wasn't just Century 21 that missed out on insurance cash, as very few business policies accounted for disruption in the event of a pandemic. But this February, Century 21 has announced plans to relaunch its brand later in 2021 because of demand from shoppers, but there is no indication of US stores reopening as yet.

Luxury department chain Nordstrom had only just secured $600 million in real estate investments to help it through the COVID-19 pandemic when it announced in May that it would be axing 16 of its least profitable stores. All of the company’s 116 stores had to close when lockdown measures came into place, and those that are reopening will be subject to restructuring action as Nordstrom looks to slim down operating costs by $150 million. 

The electronics retailer has been quietly closing stores over the past few years, with 12 closed on 31 October last year and a further six shuttered so far this year according to local media reports. The pandemic appears to have accelerated store closure plans, although Best Buy's online sales have improved. CEO Corie Barry said on the company's most recent earnings call: "We have closed approximately 20 large-format locations each of the past two years and expect to close a higher number this year."

In February, Fry’s Electronics suddenly closed all 31 of its stores across nine states. A statement published online said that changing consumer habits and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic had prompted the decision to shutter the family business, which was formed by the Fry brothers in 1985. Many of its stores were themed, including its Burbank, California location (pictured), where a UFO seemed to be crashing through the store.

Bath & Body Works, which is owned by L Brands, announced in May last year that 50 of its US-based stores, as well as one in Canada, would be closing before the end of 2020. After lockdown forced most outlets to shut in the first quarter of the year, Bath & Body Works sales were down 37% compared to the same period in 2019. It isn’t all bad news for the retailer though, as an additional 50 Bath & Body Works locations  will open soon according to the company’s quarterly earnings report, following the 26 that were due to open during 2020. This leaves almost 1,800 stores across the States and Canada.

Even the brand known for its magic has been unable to stave off the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and the shift to online. At least 60 Disney Stores across North America will close this year as it looks to reduce the number of physical stores in its portfolio, with 38 US stores in 16 states having closed this week. The 60 stores represent 30% of its total number of stores across North America.

Microsoft has enjoyed a huge boost in profits thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of people became dependent on its software for their home working and virtual school set-ups. That hasn’t stopped the tech behemoth from trimming down its in-person retail offerings though, and the company announced in June that all of its stores, including 70 across the US, would be closing on a permanent basis. All sales will move online, while Microsoft Experience Centers, where customers can test products, will remain in former stores in London, New York, Sydney and the company’s Redmond campus in Washington.

Department store Sears was already on a path of store closures when COVID-19 hit. Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in 2018, after which it was bought by Transformco, so it's unsurprising that store numbers continue to dwindle in the current economic climate. Last year 72 Sears stores closed their doors for the last time, and with a further 16 locations set to shut in the coming months, the brand will be left with around 30 locations in the US. Quite the steep decline from the 489 stores it had at the beginning of 2019.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Macy’s had already committed to shutting 125 of its locations over the coming three years in an announcement made in February 2020. Along with the closures, the department store giant said that 2,000 jobs would be cut as it looked to boost profits. Last year 28 Macy’s stores and one Bloomingdale’s location closed their doors for the final time. A list of 37 locations set to close in 2021 was then published by the retailer in January, which would affect stores in 19 states. Some of those outlets have been turned into fulfilment centres to keep up with the uptick in online sales, which grew by 53% year-on-year in the second quarter and then at a slower rate of 27% in the third quarter of 2020.

Even the oldest clothing store in the United States has been rattled by the COVID-19 outbreak and was on the verge of slipping into bankruptcy in July. Brooks Brothers was then reportedly saved by brand management firm Authentic Brands and American shopping centre owner Simon Property, who acquired the brand in a $325 million deal in August. The new owners won’t be saving all the Brooks Brothers stores though. The clothing retailer had already decided to shut 51 stores in July, and the new owners have since said that only 125 of the remaining 200 US-based stores will remain open.

Chocolate sales have soared while people have been stuck at home, but the lack of footfall in Godiva’s in-person stores has caused the chocolatier to announce the closure of all 128 of its retail and café locations across North America. The Belgian chocolate manufacturer’s wares will still be available to US-based customers online and via its partner grocery stores, and Godiva’s brick-and-mortar stores across Europe, the Middle East and Greater China will stay in operation.

Carter’s revealed in October that it would be permanently closing around a quarter of its stores, some 200 locations, as it chose not to renew leases on its less profitable sites. The children’s apparel retailer is looking to improve the digital side of its business such as buying online and curbside pickup, but also hasn’t given up on the in-person shopping experience. Carter’s CEO Michael Casey pointed out that the chaos caused by coronavirus has forged a buyer’s market, saying that the company would be keeping an eye out for opportune investments for future stores, as reported by TotalRetail.

Gap, which also owns alternative clothing brand Banana Republic, announced in August that it would be closing more than 225 stores in 2020, with further closures set to be unveiled this year. The number of Gap stores across the US was already in decline and brutal sales figures as a result of COVID-19 restrictions have only worsened the situation. Gap also announced in October that it was considering closing all its stores in Europe. The company did see a 95% boost in online sales, which served to offset some of the damage caused by empty stores. Gap recently announced that it would be spending $140 million on building a warehouse in Texas, which will be able to process one million packages each day, to keep up with the extra demand.

After almost 120 years of business, department store JCPenney announced in June that it would be filing for bankruptcy, with plans to shut 149 of its stores over the summer period alone and 242 in total, which is 29% of its overall number of stores. The coronavirus pandemic was the final straw for the company, which had long been wrestling against the transition to online shopping and competition from retail behemoths such as Walmart and Target. Since then, 156 stores have closed. Brookfield Property Partners and Simon Property Group saved the business from liquidation in an $800 million acquisition deal in December. The company has just announced that 18 stores across 17 states will close in mid-May – although 15 of these were originally planned to close this month.

This January, American Eagle Outfitters set out plans to improve its profitability, including doubling its Aerie brand revenue to $2 billion by 2023 and boosting sales at its American Eagle stores. To hit its targets, the company will close between 200 and 250 of its outlets, most of which are mall-based, while growing its Aerie brand from 350 stores to between 500 and 600 by 2023. Strong digital sales mean that American Eagle Outfitters is faring better than most during the pandemic.

It’s not just clothing and homeware retailers that have felt the sting of the economic turndown. The world’s largest telecommunications company in terms of revenue, AT&T, has also announced that it would be closing 250 stores and shedding 3,400 jobs in the process. The store closures were already in the pipeline pre-pandemic, but the events of 2020 accelerated the action. AT&T emphasised that most store employees would be offered alternative work within the company, and those who weren’t would receive severance incentives of up to almost $100,000 and six months of healthcare coverage.

Discount department store Stein Mart has suffered during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and in August it announced that it would be closing all 279 of its stores across 30 US states. After 112 years in business, the company hosted going-out-of-business sales across the country and started marketing leases for its stores, distribution centres and offices in mid-September.

Lingerie and clothing giant Victoria’s Secret announced in May that it would be closing 250 sites, which is a quarter of its stores across the US and Canada. By the end of 2020 it had shut 248 stores. Parent company L Brands warned that this could just be the start of closures in coming years, and it wasn’t long before another announcement disclosed plans to close 30 to 50 more stores in the US and Canada. Now the future of 1,050 North America-based Victoria's Secret stores has been left in the balance as employees and customers wait to see which locations will close next. The British arm of the company avoided the same fate when retail chain Next bought up 51% of Victoria’s Secret UK after it fell into administration in June; 49% of the UK business is still owned by Victoria's Secret.

Despite being America’s largest speciality childrenswear store, The Children’s Place announced in November that 300 of its stores would be closed by September 2021. Profitability took a big hit last year, with sales decreasing by 19% in the three-month period ending in October as the company missed out on its usual back-to-school boom. The Children’s Place has, however, seen its digital customer base double as a result of the pandemic.

Unfortunately like Sears, which is also owned by Transformco, Kmart is seeing its stores quietly disappear, even though the discount store stayed open throughout periods of lockdown thanks to its ‘essential’ status. The discount retailer didn’t benefit from the pandemic boom enjoyed by other stores such as Walmart though, and reports circulated of eerily empty shelves as shops prepared to close. Kmart was a popular retailer in all 50 states with around 360 stores in 2019, but just two years later it has been estimated that only 30 stores remain nationwide. 

With working at home commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s unsurprising that Americans haven’t been buying many suits, which has left Tailored Brands, the company behind Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, struggling. In July, the company announced that it would close up to 500 stores and cut its corporate workforce by 20% in money-saving restructuring efforts. Tailored Brands then filed for bankruptcy in August, but had exited again by the end of November after creating a plan to shed $686 million in debt and to turn its ownership over to its lenders and creditors.

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The rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ has all but eradicated the need for physical movie rental stores and, after 42 years in business, it’s unsurprising that 2021 was the year that Family Video closed its doors for good. Family Video had long outlasted competitors such as Blockbuster, Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video, and was last reported as having an empire of 500 video stores at the start of 2020. But COVID-19 restrictions and a lack of new movie releases meant that the chain was soon in trouble and it was forced to start closing stores. By the end of last year just 250 stores remained, and in January came the announcement that Family Video was closing all of its locations. Pictured is a member of staff clearing the shelves at Family Video's last location in West Des Moines, central Iowa.

In February 2020, Pier 1 Imports filed for bankruptcy and announced the closure of 450 of its stores. The company had hoped to emerge from bankruptcy as a viable business, but those plans were scuppered when COVID-19 struck and decimated the retail market. Just three months later, the company announced that it would be shutting all remaining outlets too, bringing its total number of store closures to 942.

In 2018, health and wellness store GNC Holdings announced that it would close up to 900 of its stores in the next three years as leases in the US and Canada expired, and so its stores were already disappearing from malls when 2020 hit. In June last year, the company filed for bankruptcy and announced that up to 1,200 stores would be closing before the end of the year as the pandemic obliterated its refinancing attempts. Chinese company Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Holding acquired GNC for $770 million in September, but the move is unlikely to reverse closures as the company hopes to focus on GNC’s online presence, rather than reviving brick-and-mortar stores.

Ascena Retail Group is the umbrella company behind some major clothing brands for women and girls, including Ann Taylor, Cacique and Lou & Grey. After years of declining sales, the coronavirus pandemic forced the conglomerate to file for bankruptcy in July, and the retailer announced that it would close around 1,600 stores as a result, which is around half of the group’s outlets. Tween brand Justice was sold off for $90 million in November as part of Ascena’s restructuring efforts. There may be more closures to come, as mall operator Simon Property Group is currently opposing Ascena’s reorganisation plans on the basis that more of the Group’s stores will be closing than initially suggested, which threatens the value of its mall leases.

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