Title: Why Retail Companies Are Closing Stores
Headings: Why Retail Companies Are Closing Stores
Why Retail Companies Are Closing Stores
Online Competition
The Decline of Malls
Private-Equity Debt
Quarterly Announcements

Content: Furthermore, people of all ages—but especially younger people—are increasingly shifting their spending preferences from things to experiences. They want shopping excursions to be fun rather than just a search for consumer goods. That's why malls that offer diversions like roller coasters or aquariums have outperformed their retail-only peers. Private-Equity Debt
Yet another reason for store closings is the leveraged buyouts of retail companies by private-equity firms that saddle the retailers with tremendous amounts of debt. For example, Gymboree Group, which sold children's clothing in stores with the names Gymboree, Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack, and Crazy 8, first filed for bankruptcy in June 2017, almost seven years after Bain Capital purchased it in a deal that involved $1 billion in debt. Gymboree emerged from bankruptcy after turning control of the company over to its creditors and closing 375 stores. The company filed for bankruptcy again in January 2019, when it said it would close its remaining stores. Quarterly Announcements
Traditionally, the first quarter of any calendar year is the biggest for store closure announcements. That's because retail companies have determined how well they did during the all-important holiday shopping season and which of its stores performed poorly enough to merit closing. More and more, however, national retailers are making such announcements throughout the year.