Almost 9000 Retail Stores Will Close This Year: Here’s the List of Businesses in Trouble

(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you'll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)

By Daisy Luther

Back in January, after the worst Christmas sales in a decade, I predicted that 2017 would be the year of the Retailpocalypse and that we’d see hundreds of retail stores closing.

Sadly, I was wrong.

We’re going to see thousands of stores closing.

According to a CNN Money report, more than 300 retailers have filed for bankruptcy already and we’re only halfway through the year.

Another report by Credit Suisse has an even gloomier prediction:

…around 8,640 stores in the U.S. will close by the end of 2017 — easily surpassing the number of stores closed in a year over the past two decades. (source)

When retail stores close, it affects everyone.


Even if you’re not much of a consumer, when retail stores close, it can still affect you.

  • Higher rates of unemployment mean more competition for available jobs.
  • When larger stores in a mall close, it often takes down the other stores with it.
  • Thousands of newly unemployed people are adding even more weight to our already strained social safety net.
  • Scarcity drives up prices.

Retail stores can be a glimpse at how our economy, in general, is faring.

Underserved communities have a lot of problems that are all rooted in the loss of their retail stores.

When consumers have to drive further for everything, that is like a tax on everything they purchase. Travel time, expenses, and wear and tear mean that they’re spending just a little bit more on everything they buy.

Often, people begin moving out of smaller towns that are bereft of retailers because it’s so inconvenient to purchase the things they want or need. Others leave because they lost their job and there were no other jobs available. Property values decline.

Mom and Pop stores that existed before the chain retailers arrived were often driven out of business. Fewer options mean higher prices at any stores still remaining.

As Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse Blog wrote:

At this moment, the number of working age Americans that do not have a job is hovering near a record high.  So being able to at least get a job in the retail industry has been a real lifeline for many Americans, and now that lifeline may be in grave danger.

For those running our big corporations, losing these kinds of jobs is not a big deal.  In fact, many corporate executives would be quite happy to replace all of their U.S. employees with technology or with foreign workers.

But if the middle class is going to survive, we need an economy that produces good paying jobs.  Unfortunately, even poor paying retail jobs are starting to disappear now, and the future of the middle class is looking bleaker than it ever has before. (source)

These stores could be filing for bankruptcy or closing their doors this year.


Some experts predict that one in four malls will be closed within the next five years.

The retail apocalypse is real.

So real, in fact, that 20 to 25% of all U.S. malls will close by 2022, according to new research from Credit Suisse.

That translates to 220 to 275 of the nation’s 1,100 shopping malls, the research note said, according to Fortune.

Fueled by the rise of e-commerce, mass store closings and bankruptcies, brick and mortar retail stores have been closing around the U.S. at an increasing rate. And the fight against e-commerce giants like Amazon will only get worse. (source)

Ouch.

According to a Moody’s Investor Service report, the outlook is extremely grim for the following retailers, who have been downgraded to the lowest ranking on their credit spectrum. All of these brands/retailers are now classed by Moody’s as “subject to very high credit risk.”

  • Boardriders SA
  • Bon Ton
  • Cole Haan
  • Charlotte Russe
  • Charming Charlie
  • J. Crew
  • Claire’s
  • David’s Bridal
  • Eddie Bauer
  • Fairway Market
  • Gymboree
  • K-Mart
  • MAG Retail
  • Neiman Marcus
  • Ninety-Nine Cents Only
  • Nine West
  • Savers
  • Sears
  • Tom’s (weeps – I love those shoes)
  • Totes Isotoner
  • Tops Friendly Market
  • True Religion
  • Vince

This is on top of stores that were in trouble or whose projections were down back in January:

  • Aeropostale
  • American Eagle
  • Chicos
  • CVS
  • Finish Line
  • Kohls
  • Macy’s
  • Men’s Wearhouse
  • The Children’s Place

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself in a crumbling economy.


I really don’t believe that all of this can be blamed on Amazon. We’ve become a country of consumers instead of a country of producers. We work to pay for things that profit huge corporations who have their goods produced for pennies in other countries instead of working to produce these things ourselves.

The problem with our economy is that we've become a country of consumers instead of a country of producers.Click To Tweet

That, in my opinion, is the problem in a nutshell.

There are a few things you can do to provide some stability.

The most important prep you can make when the future is questionable is to learn to become a producer. Learn to meet your own needs by growing food, providing a necessary service, or creating something that people will always need.

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Daisy Luther

Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived, and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. She is widely republished across alternative media and  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses. You can find her on FacebookPinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.

Leave a Reply

  • There are a few things you missed about the retail apocalypse:

    After the public moves into e-commerce and local stores are closed, the e-businesses no longer have any reason to offer discounts and their profits will sky rocket.

    No more free shipping, shipping companies profits will sky rocket.

    Quality of the products purchased will drop, manufacturing companies profits will sky rocket.

    Easy return of products will end, you will not only be charged for shipping but the seller will add a restocking fee for the returned product.

    • And the pendulum will swing the other way. Not right away, of course, but even Amazon is beginning to open brick and mortar stores.

  • I’m confused. This website is a .ca-This means it originates from Canada? Daisy, are you a Canadian, living in Canada? If so, why are you so concerned about American politics and economic issues? Also, are firearms not severely restricted in your country? (You describe yourself as “gun toting”) I am just confused because it seems you represent yourself as an American. Are you an American? And if so, Why is this website under a Canadian registration?

    • Hi, Goat. When I began the site, 5 years ago, I was an American living in Canada (my husband was Canadian.) My family and I returned to the United States a year later. 🙂 No guns when I was in Canada, but now I thoroughly enjoy exercising my Second Amendment rights. I hope this clears up the confusion.

      • It does. I was somewhat familiar with the stringent requirements the Canadian government has on website hosting i.e. Canadian citizenship (residing in country). So I was wondering how you were so knowledgeable on American politics and socioeconomics. This explains it. Thank you.

  • Hi Daisy,
    I really enjoy your site – I find your articles to be helpful and insightful and not overwhelming. I was just telling my family about this article the other day. Today, we visited Gander Mountain to pick up some camping supplies… Only to find it was having a liquidation sale and going out of business. Your article was spot-on and really hit home when I saw another retailer closing its doors.

    • Wow – I didn’t realize Gander Mountain was in trouble too. I hope that at the very least, you got some good deals today. Thank you for your kind words.

  • I was reading about Starbucks the other day. As they hired a new CEO, their stock dropped significantly. It might be because he proposed opening . . . wait for it . . . 12,000 new stores! That’s a 50% increase in the number of stores they now have (23,000). Is he an idiot or what? Does the world really need 12,000 NEW Starbucks? I wonder how long he’ll keep his job.

    Retail will not go away – completely, but big retails are consolidating. Just like most businesses, they open a lot of stores, make a lot of money, and think that more stores MUST mean more money, so they over expand. This is a contraction period – many stores (as you mentioned) will close permanently. Others will just have a lot fewer stores. That may or may not save them because, as we all know, there is always Amazon. Not to be left in the dust, Walmart is expanding its online presence to compete with Amazon with some kind of free shipping deal, discounts, etc.

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