Pier 1 Imports Closing In Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK, MI — Pier 1 Imports, which has a location in Royal Oak, is closing hundreds of stores, the company announced Monday. The retail chain said up to 450 locations — about half of its total — would be closed to “better align its business with the current operating environment.”

Among the closings is the Royal Oak location.

The company plans to close certain distribution centers and lower its corporate spending, as well as lay off workers at the corporate level.

The home furnishing store 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.

Robert Riesbeck, CEO and CFO of the retail chain, thanked store workers for their hard work and commitment to serving customers.

“Although decisions that impact our associates are never easy, reducing the number of our brick-and-mortar locations is a necessary business decision,” he said in a statement.

The planned closures come as the company deals with less 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 the same period a year ago.

Last fall, Pier 1 announced up to 145 stores closings were possible in coming months.

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

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.