CLOSING AND OPENING OF RETAIL STORES

Below, I summarize store closing and opening given in the reference.  You are encouraged to see the reference for details.

Brick and Mortar store closing seem to be accelerating.
So far, 7,062 store closures have been announced by U.S. retailers this year, according to a tracking done by Coresight Research. And the tally could top 12,000 by the end of 2019, setting a new record, Coresight says. Last year, Coresight tracked 5,524 store closures, down more than 30% from an all-time high of 8,139 closures announced in 2017.

But not all is bad news.  As many stores are closing, some others are opening.
Amid all the closings, there are still retailers opening stores. Coresight has tracked 3,017 store opening announcements so far this year. This past Thursday, Lululemon opened its biggest store ever in Chicago. And there’s a massive, 3-million-square-foot mall called American Dream slated to open in New Jersey on Oct. 25.
Bed Bath And Beyond is closing at least 40 stores this year but will open another 15.

And some are going out of business.  The big one is Payless ShoeSource is closing all 2,500 of its North American stores.   Also large is Gymboree that is closing all 800 of its stores as well as its Crazy 8 stores.  Dollar Stores is closing 390 Family Dollar stores, but not going out of business.  Two examples of liquidating are Charming Charlie and Charlotte Russe, stores I've never heard of.   Another I've never heard of is Top Shop that is closing all 11 of its stores in the U.S. Dress Barn is also closing.  Bed And Body Works is unusual in that it is closing about 24 stores but opening 46, i.e. opening more than it is closing.  The most famous store is J.C Penney that continues to close stores but still has a lot.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/13/retail-store-closures-in-2019-freds-charming-charlie-and-more.html