Store closing signs at a checkout counter of a Bed Bath and Beyond.
Bed Bath & Beyond closed 896 stores in 2023.
  • At least 20 major retailers have said they will close US stores in 2023, a combined total of 2,847 locations.
  • Rite Aid is the latest chain planning to shut down stores, joining a list that includes Amazon and Walmart.
  • Bed Bath & Beyond closed 896 locations amid bankruptcy — the most of any retailer on the list.

It's not exactly the retail apocalypse of prior years, but it's a shakeup nonetheless.

An Insider tally of announcements by 20 major retailers in 2023 finds as many as 2,847 stores set to close across the US.

The rationales are varied: Some companies are navigating bankruptcy proceedings, while others say they are aiming to cut costs. Several are adjusting store formats to meet changing shopping trends.

Rite Aid is the latest to join the list with 154 drugstores slated to close as the struggling pharmacy negotiates a bankruptcy deal.

Topping the list of retailers shedding locations was Bed Bath & Beyond, which declared bankruptcy and closed 896 stores across three brands this year, followed by Foot Locker, which is shuttering 545 stores across two brands by 2026 as part of a shift away from shopping malls.

See the full list:

Bed Bath & Beyond: 896 stores
Empty sheet aisles in Bed Bath and Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy, and closed its stores for good on June 30. The brand will live on in digital form after Overstock.com purchased Bed Bath & Beyond's intellectual property assets for $21.5 million.

The wind-down affected the 360 flagship stores and 120 Buybuy Baby locations the company previously planned to keep open, plus 416 US Bed Bath & Beyond, Harmon, and Buybuy Baby stores that were already set to close, bringing the total count to 896 locations closing this year.

Foot Locker: 545 stores
Foot Locker store

Foot Locker said in March that it will close as many as 420 stores by 2026 in shopping malls as part of a plan meant to "reset" the company, as well as 125 Champs Sports locations. It also said it aims to open more than 300 "new concept" stores in the same period, including locations outside of malls.

Tuesday Morning: 487 stores
Tuesday Morning

The Dallas-based home goods company said on April 29 that it is shutting down all of its stores. The news came after the company said in February that it planned to close more than half of its stores amid bankruptcy proceedings.

CVS: 300 stores
CVS exterior
CVS said it was reviewing the FDA announcement regarding dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone.

CVS is in the second year of a three-year plan to close a total of 900 stores by the end of 2024 as changing populations and buying patterns led the company to reconsider how many stores it needs in certain areas.

In a statement in November 2021, the company said the strategy aims to complement an expanding digital presence.

Rite Aid: 154 stores
Rite Aid exterior

Pharmacy chain Rite Aid has released a list of 154 locations it will close as it navigates bankruptcy proceedings. The closing stores are spread throughout the US but concentrated in California as well as Northeastern states including New York and Pennsylvania.

A spokesperson told Insider the company considers a variety of factors when deciding to close a store, "including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance."

The company currently has about 2,100 drugstores, and the Wall Street Journal previously reported that the number could reach as high as 500, citing persons familiar with the discussions.

Walgreens: 150 stores (in US)
Birds fly by a sign posted on the exterior of a Walgreens store on March 09, 2023 in Richmond, California.
A Walgreens store in Richmond, California.

Walgreens plans to close 150 stores in the US and 300 in the United Kingdom, the company disclosed in its third-quarter earnings call.

The chain operates roughly 9,000 US stores, and did not specify which locations would close.

Christmas Tree Shops: 82 stores
WALDORF, MARYLAND - JULY 05: A shopper leaves a Christmas Tree Shops on July 5, 2023 in Waldorf, Maryland. Christmas Tree Shops disclosed in a court filing after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May that the chain will close all of its locations in coming weeks.

The Massachusetts-based seasonal specialty retailer filed for bankruptcy in May and is going out of business, citing slowing demand, inflation, and rising interest rates.

The chain has already closed 10 stores and is winding down the remaining 72 locations across 20 states.

Bath & Body Works: 50 stores
bath & body works

Although the olfactory factory is in fact expanding its retail footprint this year with 90 new standalone stores and 25 remodels, it told investors the move will involve the closure of about 50 of its mall-based stores. Bath & Body Works' net gain comes as a loss for US malls that are seeing an exodus of legacy tenants.

Gap and Banana Republic: 46 stores
Banana Republic

Four Banana Republic stores have already closed this year, two years after parent company Gap said it would close approximately 350 Gap and Banana Republic stores by the end of 2023. The company reported in fourth-quarter earnings that it had 912 locations at the end of 2022 and would end 2023 with approximately 866.

Party City: 31 stores
Party City store with closing signs pasted on windows

After announcing 22 store closures in February, the retailer added another nine to the closure list in April.

Walmart: 23 locations
The Walmart logo is seen outside a Walmart store in Burbank, California on August 15, 2022
The Walmart logo is seen outside a Walmart store in Burbank, California on August 15, 2022

The big box retailer is shuttering 22 stores across multiple states, citing poor performance, as well as both of its remaining pickup-only concepts. The closures follow a trend of Walmart closing a handful of stores across various states each year.

Best Buy: 20 stores
Customers load TV into back of SUV outside Best Buy store

The electronics giant said it plans to close 20 to 30 of its large-format stores as it opens eight smaller concepts and 10 outlet locations, without specifying where these openings or closures would occur. The company typically closes 15 to 20 large stores per year as leases are reviewed.

Target: 13 stores
Target

Target announced in September that it's closing nine stores in the New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle areas because of theft and organized retail crime. Eligible team members will have an opportunity to transfer to other locations, Target said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the company announced plans to close four other locations in three metro areas: two near DC, one in Philadelphia, and one in its hometown of Minneapolis. The company cited declining foot traffic as its primary reason for those closures, and said most store employees would be offered positions at other locations. It also said it will open approximately 20 new stores this year.

Moosejaw: 11 stores
A Moosejaw storefront

Dick's Sporting Goods will close 11 Moosejaw locations just months after buying the company from Walmart, multiple outlets reported in September.

The company said it will integrate leadership of the remaining three stores with its primary outdoors-focused brand, Public Lands.

Lidl: 11 stores
Lidl store in Poland

German discount grocery chain Lidl is set to close 11 underperforming locations in six states: North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania

The chain has over 12,000 stores worldwide, with roughly 170 stores in the US. It recently opened stores in Washington, DC, and Greensboro, North Carolina, and is planning to open another in Brooklyn, New York.

Amazon: at least 9 stores
Amazon Fresh store Just Walk Out technology
Amazon Fresh store

Amazon has closed nine of its Go locations — two in New York, three in Seattle, and four in San Francisco — as the company reevaluates its physical store strategy.

Big Lots: 7 stores
big lots

The discount chain is shutting down three stores in California and four in Colorado as the retailer moves toward small towns and away from urban areas.

The RealReal: 6 stores
Tag attached to clothing that reads
The RealReal, founded in 2011, sells secondhand luxury clothing.

The luxury consignment marketplace is shuttering four stores and two consignment offices across the US to cut approximately $2 million costs.

Macy's: 4 stores
macys

Macy's will close four stores during the first quarter in shopping malls in California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Maryland, as part of its three-year plan to close 125 locations.

JCPenney: 2 stores
JCPenney
JCPenney had some more basic security measures.

JCPenney locations in Oswego, New York and Elkhart, Indiana will close this year following the wind-down of over 150 stores since 2020.

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