Weekly US and UK Store Openings and Closures Tracker 2019, Week 15: Fred’s to Shut 159 Stores; In the UK, Debenhams Enters Administration

Executive Summary

Coresight Research tracks store closures, openings and bankruptcies for a select group of retailers in the US and the UK. Our Weekly Store Tracker focuses on department stores and specialty retail stores, including, but not limited to, those selling softlines, hardlines, consumer electronics, groceries and furniture.

Click here to view our full collection of Weekly US and UK Store Trackers.

Highlights from this week’s Store Tracker:

• In the US, year-to-date announced closures have exceeded the total we recorded for the full year 2018. So far this year, US retailers have announced 5,994 store closures and 2,641 store openings. This compares to 5,864 closures and 3,239 openings for the full year 2018.
• Pharmacy retailer Fred’s plans to shut 159 stores by the end of May.
• Apparel retailer Levi’s has announced plans to open 100 stores in its fiscal year 2019 that ends in November.
• Year to date, UK retail announced store openings and closures running almost neck and neck, with announced store closures at 322 and store openings at 351.
• Department store chain Debenhams has fallen into administration.