Gaithersburg Pier 1 Store Among 9 Maryland Locations Set To Close

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Gaithersburg is home to one of nine Maryland Pier 1 Imports stores set to close in the coming months, according to a published report and a list distributed to stores. The list backs up a report Business Insider published Jan. 15.

Calls by a Patch reporter to stores also confirmed many of the Maryland closings.

Executives with the home accessories chain said Jan. 6 that it would close hundreds of stores around the country. The retailer has 19 Maryland sites.

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."

Maryland stores designated for closure are:

• 30 Grand Corner Ave., Gaithersburg, referred calls to the corporate office
• 12137 Rockville Pike, Rockville, referred calls to the corporate office
• 405 North Center St., Westminster
• 8165-A Honeygo Blvd., Nottingham
• 2320 North Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury
• 1809 Reisterstown Rd., Baltimore
• 45098 Worth Ave., California
• 1352 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills
• 12641 Ocean Gateway, Ocean City

Pier 1 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 Maryland Pier 1 locations include stores in Pasadena, Annapolis, Gambrills, Laurel, Bowie, Columbia, Catonsville, Nottingham, Baltimore, Hunt Valley, Bel Air, Rockville, Easton, Gaithersburg, Westminster, Waldorf, Frederick, California, Salisbury.

Related: Maryland Chain Retailers That Closed Stores In 2019

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

Patch's Deb Belt and Kristin Danley-Greiner contributed to this story.