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Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
I have never seen Cinnabon anywhere other than a mall....so as the malls start closing, Cinnabon is just another casualty
Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
I loved Lord and Taylor when they were in a mall near me...they were one of the few places you could find nice dresses.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: So many store closing

[ Edited ]

I went to Macy’s looking for a particular nail polish kit for a granddaughter. I had seen it online and hoped they had it in the store. After waiting forever to get a person to acknowledge I was even there ( she was on her phone apparently talking to her boyfriend, judging from the giggling) I asked her if they carried this kit...I pulled it up on my phone and showed her a picture of it...she just shook her head and said no, that’s only online. I thanked her and as I was going to the escalator.....there it was, on a big display by the down escalator. I bought it but another girl rang it up. Sheesh! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why they are going down.

I am sure almost everyone has had a similar experience.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,941
Registered: ‎03-30-2010

We've been very fortunate to have been able to visit Italy three times.  One trip we rented an apartment in Rome, so we saw life as the Romans, not a bunch of Americans in a tour group.  

 

One of the things that I observed was that there are very few department stores, and those that exist are small.  I found one in Rome! Instead, there are shops for everything!  One sold only mens' shirts, another just socks, there was a shop that just sold scissors and knives.  There are shops that sell leather goods, and I found the prices were reasonable!   There are so many little shops that sell only one category of goods.  These stores aren't necessarily next to each other, lots of walking from one to the other.  Many Americans think Italians are fat;  they are not!  The meal portions are small compared to ours and they walk! 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
I think the entire mall concept is an American thing. I miss the malls that were always there when I was growing up. There are few left where we live now, and as they tear down these former icons, they promise great, upscale, modern lifestyle centers that will be the best anywhere. The last one they did ended up with a Walmart as its anchor store....nothing upscale or great about that. They are tearing down another one on our side of town now...same promises.....we’ll see.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,102
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I think a big issue for department stores was them becoming too homogenized. They lost their individuality. I go back to when Philly had Lit Brothers, Wanamakers, Strawbridge and Taylor, and Gimbels. Each store was unique. Most then expanded and expanded, were taken over by others, and now every department store is more or less the same. The personality is gone.

 

Each part of the country has unique craftspeople making furniture, lamps, artwork, etc. Each part of the country has clothing and shoe designers. Each part of the country has jewelry designers. I think a department store built around the concept of offering a unified space for those craftspeople to have their work highlighted and sold could be very successful. I think the right kind of high end department store could do very well in today's marketplace. I think the cookie cutter department stores though are in big trouble.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,629
Registered: ‎03-20-2010
 
At least 10 chain stores have announced closures in 2019
Posted: 7:34 AM, Mar 21, 2019
 
Updated: 12:17 PM, May 10, 2019

 

At least 10 big businesses have said they will be shuttering some, if not all, of their brick-and-mortar stores this year. Many are affected by the popularity of online shopping.

Here are the stores that announced closures in recent

 

1. Victoria's Secret
Sales in 2018 dropped dramatically for Victoria's Secret, and it announced 53 stores will close in 2019.

2. JCPenney
At least 24 JCPenney stores will close in 2019, after it closed dozens in 2018 and 2017.

3. Family Dollar
Family Dollar announced in March 2019 that it will close 390 stores in the year and make big changes to the stores it is keeping open as the discount chain seeks a turnaround.

4. Gymboree
Gymboree announced in January it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and that filing has led to the impending closure of 800 stores.

5. Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource filed for bankruptcy a few years ago, and in 2019 announced it will close all of it's stores. Sales on its website immediately closes.

6. Charlotte Russe
Clothing retailer Charlotte Russe will close all of its 416 stores in 2019, which it announced after filing for bankruptcy in February.

7. GAP
The CEO of Gap said stores that are not meeting its profitability requirements will close, and the Old Navy brand will be split off and made its own company. Closures will include 230 Gap stores in 2019 and 2020.

8. Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Brant: The Ascena Retail Group
Ascena Retail Group owns brands such as Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant and has been closing stories since 2017. More are expected in 2019.

9. Macy's
Eight Macy's stores in locations the company believes may be over-saturated will close in 2019. The company closed dozens of stores in 2017.

10. LifeWay Christian Stores
LifeWay leaders said all of its 170 brick-and-mortar stores will close, but it will continue in the online retail business.

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”
Honored Contributor
Posts: 33,629
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

Re: So many stores closing

[ Edited ]

@gardenman wrote:

Retail is brutally Darwinian. Only the best stores survive and others will see what they're doing, copy it, and steal their business. If you look at Amazon, what they're doing now is largely what Sears did many years ago with their catalogs. Amazon does it over the Internet instead of through catalogs, but the distribution facilities and breadth of products offered is very similar.

 

People really value convenience these days. I've long thought that a major hotel chain could make a fortune by adding a one stop wedding business to the chain. Have a location where the bridal party can get literally everything from the gown, flowers, catering, entertainment, all provided by one single source and even specially created sets for the wedding recreating a small church, an outdoor garden type setting, and more. The hotel would essentially do everything from providing accomodations for out of town guests to all of the wedding details. The bride just picks what she wants and the hotel does the work. All kinds of price points could be created and it could drive a lot of business. Buying a complete wedding package with gown, food, flowers, photography/video, lodging all at one place for a set price would be much more conveninet for modern couples. Heck, throw in a honeymoon suite while they're at it.


@gardenman AND ALL..................

 

But one of these days the chickens will come home to roost as Amazon extends their tentacles a bit too far ---The Anti-Trust and Monopoly laws will ensnare them..And eventually the loophole that makes them tax exempt will be closed....And consumers are starting to see the pricing games they play....They will lower price on an item to beat a competitor, not unusual, but they will really raise prices on others to make up for it---I mean talking a huge jump.  Someone posted their experience on a handbag regular price $148 which increased the next day to $448....Please comparison shop dont just think Amazon always has the lowest price.... 

 

 

They seem to be shooting for world domination---expanding into banking, health insurance, pharmauceuticals etc etc....

 

Some of their prices are already going up, and will eventualy impact the price of  their Prime Service as they currently are building  their own delivery fleet to meet increased customer delivery demands..To paraphrase former QVC host, Mike  Rowe---somebody's gotta pay for it....and it will be the customers.  And as they drive more companies out of business, less competition means higher prices for all consumers...

 

And online shopping has its own problems---items recived not as good as expected, growing delivery demands (especially difficult in the Christmas season) and rising costs of shipping, porch pirates, etc etc....

 

And apparently Amazon thinks there is a place for B&M stores as they open their own cashierless B&M stores.....interesting...

Animals are reliable, full of love, true in their affections, grateful. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”
Contributor
Posts: 60
Registered: ‎10-18-2017

David's Bridal has moved to a brand new store at the Fashion Center at Christiana Mall.  We have two weddings in our family this year, and I've been to the new store twice in the last month.  They are thriving!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,020
Registered: ‎05-06-2016

I just got an email today from Amazon about their new PillPack mail order pharmacy. Wonder how that will bode for CVS, their Caremark mail order business and other pharmacies. Because that's one of the few places today where people for the most part still physically need to come into. Amazon for me is a big convienence as I don't have a car and get can get things I really need within a day or two. But if they continue to try to take over all aspects of retail, there is a chance it could backfire.

 

As for B&M stores, I wonder if it depends on location. I'm in the Maryland suburbs, 30 miles north of Baltimore, and our mall and majority of stores do very well. Many of these places are located just minutes from housing developments in the area so it's easy for many people here to just hop in the car and go shopping.