See a List of All 2015 Retail Store Closings

A List U.S. Retail Industry Chains Closed, Downsized and In Bankruptcy

Barnes & Noble in San Bruno, California — Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

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By

Barbara Farfan

Updated on 06/25/19

Even before the end of the calendar year 2014, the largest U.S. retail chains had announced hundreds of store closings that will be happening in the calendar year 2015. The U.S. teen apparel retail chain Wet Seal then made a big splash early in the 2015 calendar year when its employees created some high profile social media revenge in response to store closures that were scheduled with little notice to its employees.

Wet Seal had previously told its employees that it was not planning on closing stores but would be revitalizing, and reimagining its brand instead. Employees claimed the company's leaders lied about that so that there wouldn't be a mass employee exodus during the critical 2014 Christmas holiday shopping season.

Perhaps the Wet Seal leaders did lie. Or perhaps a $28.8 million default notice from creditor Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd. changed their minds on January 2, 2015. Whatever the truth is, many or all of Wet Seals retail stores closed in the U.S. in 2015, and it is likely to be just the start of some messy, complicated store closings expected from the largest U.S. retail chains.

The general opinion among U.S. retail consumers and casual U.S. retail industry observers are that store closings are “bad” and a sign of weakness, while store openings are “good” and a sign of growth, expansion, and success. The store closings by U.S. retail chains in 2015 are not so easily categorized.

Retail store closings in the U.S. have less to do with economic implications and more to do with sociological insights. Store closings are no longer about discretionary income as much as they are about consumer empowerment and how retail consumption is shapeshifting in response to rapidly changing consumer behaviors and preferences.

The amount of commercial retail store space in the U.S. grew 12% from 1970 to 2010. In a consumer-driven economy where approximately 70% of the GDP is dependent on the purchase of goods and services, this seems like a positive indicator of economic expansion and strength. But during that same time period, the population of the U.S. consumers only grew 52%. So rather than being a sign of economic stability, the number of retail stores in the U.S. is more of a sign of retail store supply exceeding retail store demand.

Does the U.S. marketplace need 50 square feet of retail space for every man, woman, and child within the country’s borders? The ongoing and steady post-recession stream of store closings since seems to indicate that the answer is “no.”

It’s not that consumers haven’t been making money and spending it on retail goods and services since the Great Recession. Rather, it’s that consumers are losing interest in and patience for the retail store distribution model. The tedious and time-consuming process of slogging from store to store seeking “the perfect” whatever is becoming less of an entertaining recreational hobby, and more of an avoidable annoyance. Retail store closings in the U.S. are no longer a reflection of poor economic health; they are a reflection of an antiquated distribution system that is increasingly losing its appeal to the average consumer.

What follows is a complete, updated, and ongoing list of U.S. retail chains that have closed underperforming retail store locations, downsizing, or going bankrupt and out of business in the 2015 calendar year.

Radio Shack, Sears, Target, Wet Seal, Office Depot, and Barnes & Noble are just some of the largest U.S. retail chains that announced store closings and downsizing plans for the calendar year of 2015.

What follows is a complete roundup of U.S. retail chain store closing plans and total numbers of store closings. Information for this 2015 Store Closing List was obtained from reports made available to the general public through news reports, corporate documents, and company press releases, and was compiled and aggregated as new information was released throughout 2015.

This 2015 U.S. Retail Store Closings list is arranged numerically according to the number of store closings. The number in the left column is the total number of stores that have been designated for closing in the calendar year of 2015 and beyond. The latest additions are indicated with bold lettering. This list was last updated on November 2, 2015.

2015 Store Closings - Complete List of U.S. Retailers Closing Stores, Downsizing Chains, and Retail Company Bankruptcies:

1,784 Radio Shack (Chapter 11 bankruptcy)

700 McDonald's

400 Office Depot / Office Max (by 2016)

359 Dots

338 Wet Seal

330 Family Dollar

300 Deb Shops

296 Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P, Bankruptcy Liquidation)

265 Body Central / Body Shop

250 Office Depot (2015)

225 Staples (through 2015)

223 Barnes & Noble (through 2023)

200 Anna's Linens

200 Children’s Place (through 2017)

200 Walgreens (by 2017)

184 McDonald's (US)

180 Abercrombie & Fitch (by 2015)

175 Aeropostale (“over the next several years”)

172 Simply Fashion

170 Jones Group (by mid-2014 )

161 Fresh & Easy Grocery Stores (Out of Business)

150 American Eagle Outfitters (through 2017)

140 Gap / Gap Kids (2015)

133 Target, Canada (bankruptcy)

127 Jones New York Outlet

120 Chico’s (through 2017)

120 Izod

100 Dunkin' Donuts

100 Pier One (through 2017)

98 Claire's (72 US, 26 Europe)

93 Frederick’s of Hollywood

92 Delia's

90 Stage Stores

80 Wolverine World Wide (2015 - Strike Rite & Keds)

77 Sears (2015)

75 Aeropostale (through January 2015)

70 Coach (fiscal 2015)

66 Bottom Dollar Food

65 Future Shop (Best Buy Canada)

63 Pep Boys (“in the coming years”)

60 Pier One (fiscal 2016, ending February 2016)

55 Staples (2015)

54 Golf Galaxy (by 2016)

50 Advance Auto Parts

50 Express (through 2015)

50 Guess (through 2015)

50 Wet Seal

40 JCPenney

40 Gymboree

39 Einstein Bros. Bagels

38 Coco's Bakery

35 Carrow Restaurants

35 Gap / Gap Kids (2016)

32 C. Wonder

31 Tiger Direct

28 Kate Space Saturday & Jack Spade

27 Haggen

27 Quiksilver (Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)

27 Tops Pharmacy (in-store)

26 Burger King

25 Build-A-Bear (through 2015)

25 A&P / Pathmark (Bankruptcy)

25 Wolverine World Wide (2016 - Strike Rite & Keds)

23 Boulange (Starbucks)

20 Boston Proper

20 Pick ’n Save (by 2017)

21 Cache

20 Bob Evans Restaurants

17 Christopher & Banks

16 Macy's

15 Kirkland's

15 Shoe Carnival

14 Friendly's

13 Asics

13 Ruby Tuesday

13 Safeway

12 Del Taco

12 Freedom Furniture

12 Fresh Produce

12 JM Pollack (Bankruptcy)

11 Volunteers of America Thrift Stores (Upstate New York)

10 Just Baked

10 Organic Avenue (Out of Business)

10 SpartanNash Grocery Stores

10 West Marine

8 City Sports (Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)

8 Famima!! (Out of Business in the U.S.)

8 Good Cents Grocery Stores

7 Dahl’s Foods

7 Hiller's Markets

5 Alfano's Stride Rite (Out of Business)

5 Double 8 Foods (Out of Business)

5 Romano's Macaroni Grill

5 United Dairy Farmers Convenience Stores

4 Best Buy

4 Good Times Convenience Stores (Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)

4 Harris Teeter

4 Hudson Trail Outfitters

4 Lowes Foods

4 Mars Super Markets

4 Marsh Supermarkets

4 Mina’s Pharmacy

4 Toys 'R Us

4 Weathervane Restaurants

3 Bag ’N Save

3 Belk

3 Bi-Lo Supermarkets

3 Famous Dave's Restaurants

3 Huddle House

3 Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill

3 Winn-Dixie Supermarkets

3 Xpect Grocery Store

2 Big Lots

2 Blue Point Restaurant

2 Boloco

2 Carmen Anthony Steakhouse

2 Elder-Beerman

2 FoodTown

2 Four Firkins

2 GetGo (Giant Eagle)

2 Great American Cookie

2 Harvey's Supermarkets

2 Hilo Hattie

2 Joe Caputo & Sons

2 Kenny's Restaurants

2 Mel Trotter Thrift Stores

2 Mimi's Cafe

2 No Frills

2 North American Video

1 Olive Garden

2 Pizza Hut

2 Raley's

2 Shopko

2 Skagway

2 Tatums (Lee Tatum Shoes and Excessories)

2 Vons

2 Walmart

Although there were significant store closing plans announced by retail chains like Radio Shack and Target and restaurant chains like Ruby Tuesday and Friendly’s at the beginning of 2015, not all of the largest U.S. retail chains chose to make the company's total number of U.S. and global store closings available at the beginning of the year.

Of course, the retail companies on the growing 2015 Retail Bankruptcies list didn’t have the option of hiding their 2015 store closing plans. But other retail chains like Gap, Ann Taylor, Sbarro, and Wendy’s chose to quietly close a small number of stores each quarter, hoping that the sum total of those 2015 store closings will go relatively unnoticed by shareholders and members of the press.

It is not to suggest that there are retail chains that are deceptively hiding their 2015 store closing activities. There are probably some retail leaders who attempt to control the press and stock traders by keeping a lid on future store closing news. More than likely, though, it’s the volatility in the global and U.S. retail industry that prevents the leaders of some of the largest U.S. based retail chains from making specific plans about things like store closings and store openings 18 months in advance. They sometimes just don’t know what they don’t know.

What follows is a list of U.S. retail chains that have closed or have announced intentions to closes in 2015. So far, these store closings are confined to single retail store locations.

The number in the left column is the total number of stores that have been designated for closing in the calendar year of 2015 and beyond. The latest additions are indicated with bold lettering. This list was last updated on November 2, 2015.

US and Global Retail Chain 2015 Store Closing Plans and Total Numbers (continued):

1 Ace Hardware

1 Albertson's

1 American Steakhouse

1 Ann Taylor

1 Ann Taylor Loft

1 Baker Shoes

1 Banana Republic

1 Bath & Body Works

1 Bed Bath & Beyond

1 Benetton

1 Bon-Ton

1 Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar

1 California Pizza Kitchen

1 Chancery Restaurant

1 Chili's

1 City Winery

1 Cost Plus World Market

1 Costco

1 Crate & Barrel

1 Disney Store

1 e2/e2Go (Emeril Restaurant)

1 Eddie Bauer

1 El Rayo Taqueria

1 Express

1 F.A.O. Schwartz

1 Fin's Market & Grill

1 f.y.e.

1 Fresh Market

1 Freshii

1 Gap

1 Godfather’s Pizza

1 Goodyear

1 Gordon Jewelry

1 Griff's Hamburgers

1 GrillSmith Restaurant

1 Hallmark

1 Harding’s

1 Harry & David

1 Howard Johnson’s Restaurant

1 Hybernian Irish Pub & Restaurant

1 Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

1 JJill

1 Johnny Rockets

1 Journeys

1 Kroger

1 LawLers Barbecue and Catfish

1 Limited

1 Lone Star Steakhouse

1 Longhorn Steakhouse

1 Los Tres Amigos Restaurant

1 Martin's Food Market

1 McCormick & Schmick's

1 Naturally Yours Grocery

1 Neato Burrito

1 Nob Hill Foods

1 Old Chicago Restaurant

1 Old Navy

1 Olga's Kitchen

1 Pappas Brothers

1 Patriot Steakhouse & Tavern

1 Piperlime

1 Pottery Barn Kids

1 P.S. from Aeropostale

1 QuikTrip

1 RA Sushi Bar Restaurant

1 Rainbow

1 Sbarro

1 Schnucks

1 Shiraz Mediterranean Grill

1 Slater's 50/50

1 Smashburger

1 SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza

1 The Palm Steakhouse

1 Tractor Supply Co.

1 Thomasville of Meridian

1 Wawa

1 Wendy's (Costa Rica)

1 White House Black Market

Aeropostale, Gap, Coach, JCPenney, and Kmart are just some of the U.S. brick-and-mortar retail chains with a prominent position on the 2015 Store Closings Index. This 2015 Store Closings Index is filled with the names of the largest U.S. based retail chains and retail restaurant chains that are downsizing their presence in physical retailing within and beyond the borders of the United States of America.

In 2015, some retail chains like Bottom Dollar Food, Deb Shops, and Body Central closed stores in connection with a bankruptcy filing and will be going out of business forever in 2015. Others like Radio Shack and Wet Seal are rumored to be moving quickly down the downsizing road to bankruptcy as well.

This 2015 Store Closings list is arranged alphabetically according to the name of the brick-and-mortar retail chains doing the closings. The number in the left column is the total number of stores that have been designated for closing in the calendar year of 2015 and beyond. The latest additions are indicated with bold lettering. This list was last updated on November 2, 2015.
Store Closings Index 2015 of Largest US Brick-and-Mortar Retail Chains :

25 A&P / Pathmark (Bankruptcy)

180 Abercrombie & Fitch (by 2015)

1 Ace Hardware

50 Advance Auto Parts

175 Aeropostale (“over the next several years”)

75 Aeropostale (through January 2015)

1 Albertson's

5 Alfano's Stride Rite (Out of Business)

150 American Eagle Outfitters (through 2017)

1 American Steakhouse

1 Ann Taylor

1 Ann Taylor Loft

200 Anna's Linens

13 Asics

3 Bag ’N Save

1 Baker Shoes

1 Banana Republic

223 Barnes & Noble (through 2023)

1 Bath & Body Works

1 Bed Bath & Beyond

3 Belk

1 Benetton

4 Best Buy

3 Bi-Lo Supermarkets

2 Big Lots

2 Blue Point Restaurant

20 Bob Evans Restaurants

265 Body Central / Body Shop

2 Boloco

1 Bon-Ton

20 Boston Proper

1 Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar

66 Bottom Dollar Food

25 Build-A-Bear (through 2015)

26 Burger King

32 C. Wonder

21 Cache

1 California Pizza Kitchen

2 Carmen Anthony Steakhouse

35 Carrow Restaurants

1 Chancery Restaurant

120 Chico’s (through 2017)

200 Children’s Place (through 2017)

1 Chili's

17 Christopher & Banks

1 City Sports (Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)

1 City Winery

98 Claire's (72 US, 26 Europe)

70 Coach (fiscal 2015)

38 Coco’s Bakery

1 Cost Plus World Market

1 Costco

1 Crate & Barrel

7 Dahl’s Foods

300 Deb Shops

12 Del Taco

92 Delia's

1 Disney Store

359 Dots / Simply Fashion

5 Double 8 Foods (Out of Business)

100 Dunkin' Donuts

1 e2/e2Go (Emeril Restaurant)

1 Eddie Bauer

39 Einstein Bros. Bagels

1 El Rayo Taqueria

2 Elder-Beerman

50 Express (through 2015)

330 Family Dollar

8 Famima!! (Out of Business in the U.S.)

3 Famous Dave's Restaurant

1 F.A.O. Schwartz

1 Fin's Market & Grill

3 Food Lion

2 FoodTown

2 Four Firkins

93 Frederick’s of Hollywood

12 Freedom Furniture

161 Fresh & Easy Grocery Stores

1 Fresh Market

12 Fresh Produce

1 Freshii

14 Friendly's

65 Future Shop (Best Buy Canada)

1 f.y.e.

140 Gap / Gap Kids (2015)

35 Gap / Gap Kids (2016)

2 GetGo (Giant Eagle)

1 Godfather’s Pizza

54 Golf Galaxy (by 2016)

8 Good Cents Grocery Stores

4 Good Times Convenience Stores (Chapter 11 Bankruptcy)

1 Goodyear

1 Gordon Jewelry

2 Great American Cookie

296 Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P, Bankruptcy Liquidation)

1 Griff's Hamburgers

1 GrillSmith Restaurant

50 Guess (through 2015)

40 Gymboree

27 Haggen

3 Huddle House

4 Hudson Trail Outfitters

1 Hybernian Irish Pub & Restaurant

1 Harding's

1 Hallmark

4 Harris Teeter

1 Harry & David

2 Harvey's Supermarkets

7 Hiller's Markets

2 Hilo Hattie

1 Howard Johnson’s Restaurant

120 Izod

40 JCPenney

1 Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville

1 JJill

12 JM Pollack (Bankruptcy)

2 Joe Caputo & Sons

1 Johnny Rockets

170 Jones Group (by mid-2014 )

127 Jones New York Outlet

1 Journeys

10 Just Baked

28 Kate Spade Saturday & Jack Spade

2 Kenny's Restaurants

15 Kirkland's

2 Kmart

1 Kroger

23 La Boulange (Starbucks)

1 LawLers Barbecue and Catfish

1 Limited

1 Lone Star Steakhouse

1 Longhorn Steakhouse

1 Los Tres Amigos

4 Lowes Foods

Store closings and store openings are a natural and ongoing part of doing business for all the largest U.S. based retail chains. But not all of the retail companies that will close stores in the 2015 calendar year are doing so as a regular course of business. Some of the largest and oldest U.S. retail chains like Sears, JCPenney, Macy’s RadioShack, and Staples closed retail store locations in 2015 because of a change in the course of their business.

It’s not just about the shift in consumer preference to online and mobile shopping that is causing challenges for legacy U.S. retail chains. It’s also the inability to clearly define their target markets and understand their own unique selling proposition in those markets that is causing troubles for some retail chains that were once considered to be too big to fail. The 2015 Store Closings Index debunks the too-big-to-fail myth and proves instead that companies that are too rooted to the past will find it difficult or impossible to be relevant in the present or competitive in the future.

It is a continuation of the Complete 2015 Store Closing Index, arranged alphabetically according to the name of the retail companies. The number in the left column indicates the total number of retail store locations that each retailer plans to close in the 2015 calendar year.

This list was last updated on November 2, 2015. The latest additions are indicated with bold lettering.

16 Macy's

4 Mars Super Markets

4 Marsh Supermarkets

1 Martin's Food Market

1 McCormick & Schmick's

700 McDonald's (worldwide)

184 McDonald's (US)

2 Mel Trotter Thrift Stores

2 Mimi's Cafe

4 Mina’s Pharmacy

1 Naturally Yours Grocery