Coresight Research tracks news about store closures, openings and bankruptcies. Our Weekly Store Openings and Closures Tracker focuses on department stores and specialty retail stores, including, but not limited to, those selling softlines, hardlines, consumer electronics, groceries and furniture.

The US

2019 Major US Store Closures and Openings Year to date in 2019, U.S. retailers have announced they will close 2,187 stores and open 1,503. Our data represents closures and openings by calendar year, so includes announcements made in 2018 of closures and openings expected to occur in 2019.

What Is Happening This Week in the US?

Payless May Shut Most or All of its Stores According to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources, discount footwear retailer Payless plans to close most or all of its stores as it prepares to file for bankruptcy for the second time. Last month, Payless hired investment bank PJ Solomon as an advisor to assess strategic alternatives, according to Reuters. Ikea Opens New Store in Live Oak, Texas Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has opened a new 289,000-square-foot store in Live Oak, Texas (near San Antonio), the retailer’s 49th in the U.S. and fifth in Texas. The company also plans to open a store in Norfolk, Virginia, in April close to the Norfolk Premium Outlets. [caption id="attachment_75841" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75842" align="aligncenter" width="800"] *Total includes retailers that have announced multi-year store opening plans which have been recorded based on an estimate for each year, which includes Aldi’s five-year plan for store openings through 2022.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75844" align="aligncenter" width="800"] *Total includes a small number of retailers that each announced between one and five store closures and are not included in the chart above.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75845" align="aligncenter" width="800"] *Total includes a small number of retailers that each announced one or two store openings and are not included in the chart above.Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   2019 Major US Store Bankruptcies [caption id="attachment_75846" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   2018 Major US Store Bankruptcies [caption id="attachment_75847" align="aligncenter" width="800"] *A’gaci emerged from bankruptcy in August 2018.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]

The UK

2019 Major UK Store Closures and Openings Year to date in the U.K., major retailers have announced 284 store closures and 315 store openings. This data represents closures and openings by calendar year, so includes announcements made in 2018 of openings or closures expected to occur in 2019.

What Is Happening This Week in the UK?

Superfi Closes All Six Stores Specialist audio-visual retailer Superfi has shuttered all six of its stores and its website has become non-operational. The retailer stopped trading on February 4 and, per an email that it sent to its suppliers, filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator on February 5. The email also specified the company’s existing inventory had been transferred to its central warehouse. Ikea Opens New Store in Greenwich Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has opened a new store in Greenwich, London, in line with its plans to operate more stores in and around city centers. The new store is the retailer’s 22^nd full-sized store in the U.K. and Ikea is promoting it as the company’s most environmentally sustainable store. It is also the company’s first full-sized big-box format store in London in 14 years.

Non-Store-Closure News

Bennetts Enters Administration Derbyshire-based department store retailer Bennetts, one of the oldest department stores in the world, has collapsed into administration after 285 years of trading, owing to declining sales and pressure from online competition. The retailer, which has two operational stores, is scouting for potential buyers. [caption id="attachment_75848" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Coresight Research attributes store openings and closures to the year in which they occurred or are expected to occur. We estimate this information for some retailers including Debenhams, Homebase, Laura Ashley and New Look.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75849" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75850" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Coresight Research attributes store openings and closures to the year in which they occurred or are expected to occur, and we estimate this information for some retailers, including Argos, B&M, Homebase, M&S, Monsoon Accessorize, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_75851" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Coresight Research attributes store openings and closures to the year in which they occurred or are expected to occur, and we estimate this information for some retailers, including B&M, Footasylum, Greggs, Habitat, Hema, Heron Foods, House, Lidl, M&Co, M&S, Pets at Home, Sainsbury’s and Smiggle.
Source: Company reports/Coresight Research[/caption]  

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Notes Figures represent store openings and closures that occured, or are expected to occur, in the respective calendar years. For some retailers, store opening and closure numbers are estimated, including from part-year data, global figures or announced closure/opening programs that span multiple years. Estimates are updated as companies file details of changes in their store estates. Figures for openings and closures are gross.