CA Retail Stores You Likely Won't See In The Same Form In 2021

CALIFORNIA — The brick-and-mortar retail industry has been in a downward slide since the dawn of the information age. 2020 pushed it off a cliff.

The coronavirus crisis wiped out thousands of chain and mom-and-pop shops and the recent explosion of cases in the United States imperils many others.

According to data compiled by Coresight Research Retail Store Databank, 8,688 retail stores have already shuttered this year as of Dec. 18, far outpacing the 3,368 shops that have opened this year.

Retail industry analyst Jan Rogers Kniffen told Yahoo Finance Live that the United States projects to lose 25,000 of its 110,000 stores by the time we get to the other side of the pandemic.

“So, in the malls, we could see of 1,100 enclosed malls in America, we could see half of those go dark or be changed dramatically in nature.”

Here is a list of some of the biggest retailers and restaurants that have permanently closed all or some of their stores:

Macy’s

The department store chain in early February announced plans to close 125 stores over the next three years, around a fifth of its brick-and-mortar footprint.

Pier 1

The home furnishings chain in May announced plans to shutter all of its 541 stores. The company said it would reopen its stores after the pandemic but only long enough to sell off its inventory.

Victoria’s Secret

The women’s undergarment chain in May announced plans to permanently close about 250 stores in the United States and Canada by the end of this year.

GNC

The supplement chain in June filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close 27 California stores and between 800 to 1,200 stores nationwide.

Nordstrom

The department store chain in May announced it would close 16 of its 116 full-line stores.

J.C. Penney

The department store chain in June announced it would close 154 locations, including eight in California.

GAP

Expect to start seeing less of the San Francisco-based retail clothier plans in 2021. The company plans to close 350 stores by 2024, The Associated Press reports.

Lord & Taylor

The department store in August announced it was closing all of its 38 remaining stores, ending a run of nearly 200 years, CNN reports.

Patch staffers Renee Schiavone, Courtney Teague, Bea Karnes, Kristina Houck, Ashley Ludwig, Shannon Antinori and Beth Dalbey contributed to this report