These GA Stores Among More Than 1,400 In US Expected To Close In 2026

People who like shopping in a physical brick-and-mortar store will have fewer choices in Georgia before 2026 ends, according to new retail tracking.

Retail, grocery and restaurant chains are closing hundreds of locations in 2026 as part of a broader, ongoing shift away from underperforming brick-and-mortar stores and toward e-commerce and more efficient operations, Business Insider reported.

By the end of the year, more than 1,400 stores are expected to shutter, including familiar names like Kroger and Walgreens and mall and apparel staples like Francesca’s, Carter’s and Yankee Candle.

Here are stores that could close:

Carter’s plans to shutter about 100 of its children’s and baby apparel stores by the end of 2026. The retailer said in October that it would close 150 stores over the next three years as leases expire.

Eddie Bauer stores are disappearing after the operating entity was unable to find a buyer during Chapter 11. Liquidation sales are underway at the 175 Eddie Bauer stores in the United States and Canada. Georgia has four Eddie Bauer stores.

Francesca’s is conducting going-out-of-business sales at all of its roughly 400 stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 5. Stores in Georgia are found at the Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta, the Mall of Georgia, Town Center at Cobb and Perimeter Mall

Grocery Outlet is closing 36 underperforming stores, two-thirds of them in the eastern U.S., CEO Jason Potter told analysts on a March 4 earnings call, noting they no longer had a “viable path to sustained profitability.” California-based Grocery Outlet, which operates about 500 stores across 16 states, said it won’t exit any state entirely. The chain has no stores in Georgia.

Kroger said last June that it would close 60 “unprofitable” stores nationwide over the next year and a half, a process that has already started. The stores targeted for closure operate under the flagship Kroger banner, but also include Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food and Drug, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Pick ’n Save, and QFC locations.

According to Fast Company, stores that have closed so far include the following Kroger locations: 2452 Morosgo Way NE in Atlanta, 3855 Buford Hwy. NE in Brookhaven, 3479 Memorial Drive in Decatur and 11877 Douglas Road in Alpharetta.

Macy’s plans to close another 80 stores by the end of 2026 so it can focus on its 350 go-forward stores and the online shopping experience. Macy’s closed about 65 stores in 2025. Store closures expected to be complete include 14 in 12 states, including at Northlake Mall, 4880 Briarcliff Road NE, in Atlanta, Axios reported.

Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands said in February that it will close about 250 underperforming stores as part of its “Hut Forward” turnaround plan. The chain operates about 20,000 stores around the world. The company didn’t say what Pizza Hut locations would close, but there are 153 in Georgia.

REI, which has five stores in Georgia, plans to close three stores in New Jersey, New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, and Boston.

Saks Fifth Avenue luxury apparel stores will shrink to 13 as a result of parent company Saks Global’s bankruptcy filing in January. The company said in January it would close eight stores, then said in March it was adding another 12 to the list to be shuttered. Saks Global is also the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman. Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Georgia are found in Atlanta.

Saks Off 5th, Saks Global’s outlet brand, plans to close its 57 remaining stores in early 2026. The outlet's website, a separate legal entity, is also ceasing operations. Saks Off Fifth has two stores in Buckhead and Lawrenceville.

Neiman Marcus, another Saks Global company, is closing four stores in Boston; Honolulu; Canyon Park/Topanga, California; and White Plains, New York.

Wendy’s interim CEO Ken Cook told analysts in a Feb. 13 earnings call that it plans to close about 5 percent of its 6,000 restaurants, or about 300. Most of the closures are expected to take place in the first half of 2026, although Wendy’s hasn’t said what locations are changing. The fast-food chain has 253 stores in Georgia.

Yankee Candle is closing 20 stores, reducing the brand’s workforce by about 900 people, parent company Newell Brands said in December 2025 CEO Chris Peterson said at the time the “productivity plan” aims to “enhance efficiency, sharpen our strategic focus, and deliver stronger, more consistent performance.” Yankee Candle stores in Georgia are found at 800 Hwy. 400 South in Dawsonville, 3333 Buford Drive in Buford, 915 Ridgewalk Pkwy. in Woodstock and 400 Ernest W. Barrett Pkwy. in Kennesaw.

» For more, go to Business Insider.