11 Georgia Pier 1 Stores Closing, Workers Confirm

ATLANTA, GA — Eleven Georgia Pier 1 Imports stores are targeted for closure in the coming months, according to a published report and a list distributed to stores. The list, reviewed Tuesday by Patch, backs up a report by Business Insider published Jan. 15.

Calls by a Patch reporter to stores confirmed the closings.

Executives with the home accessories chain said Jan. 6 that it would close hundreds of stores around the country; the retailer has 13 sites in the Atlanta metro.

The company said up to 450 locations — about half of its total — would be closed to "better align its business with the current operating environment."

Georgia stores designated for closure are:

• 1401 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta
• 2620 Dawson Road, Albany
• 2850 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville
• 1819 Norman Drive, Valdosta
• 300 Pearl Nix Pkwy., Gainesville
• 181 Golden Isles Plaza, Brunswick
• 3795 North Druid Hills Road, Decatur
• 3101 Cobb Parkway SE, Atlanta
• 1438 Turner McCall Blvd. SW, Rome
• 3232 Peachtree Road, Unit A1, Atlanta
• 5080 Riverside Drive, Macon

Patch has reached out to the company for a list of stores closing but has so far received no response.

Pier 1 also confirmed on Facebook that stores removed from the chain's website will be closing, telling a customer, "If you have any questions about stores in your area, you can visit Pier1.com and enter your zip code at the top of the page. Closing locations have been removed from this list."

The retailer plans to close certain distribution centers and lower its corporate spending, as well as lay off workers at the corporate level. The company is using a third-party liquidator to help with the closings, noting that its lenders signed off on its plan to reduce its brick-and-mortar footprint.

The planned closures come as the company faces smaller foot traffic.

Net sales for the third quarter plummeted more than 13 percent to $358.4 million. That number was $413.2 million in the same quarter for the previous fiscal year. Company comparable sales fell more than 11 percent compared to same period a year ago.

The Atlanta area Pier 1 locations include stores in Cumberland-Atlanta, Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Decatur, Marietta, Kennesaw, Douglasville, Alpharetta, Snellville, Buford, Cumming, Gainesville, and Athens.

Related: Georgia Chain Stores That Closed Their Doors In 2019

Founded with a single location in 1962, Pier 1 Imports currently operates 936 stores in the United States.

Patch Editor Kristin Danley-Greiner contributed to this story.