These Stores, With New Hampshire Locations, Among More Than 1,400 In US Expected To Close In 2026

NEW HAMPSHIRE — People who like shopping in a physical brick-and-mortar store will have fewer choices in the Granite State by the end of 2026, 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, as well as mall and apparel staples like Francesca’s, Carter’s, and Yankee Candle.

Here are stores that could close:

Carter’s, which has several locations in Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua North Conway, Seabrook, and Tilton, 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. New Hampshire has Eddie Bauer stores in Merrimack, North Conway, and Tilton.

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 New Hampshire are found at mall locations in Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Newington, and Salem.

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 locations in Merrimack, North Conway, and Tilton.

According to Fast Company, stores that have closed so far include the following in businesses:

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 the Fox Run Mall location in Newington, according to reports.

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.

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

Saks Fifth Avenue, Last Call, and Saks Off 5th closed its locations at the Merrimack Premium Outlets earlier this year.

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 23 stores in New Hampshire.

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 has stores in Keene, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, North Conway, Salem, Seabrook, Tilton, and West Lebanon.

» For more, go to Business Insider.

Editor's note: This post was scripted by another Patch staffer, not New Hampshire's editor, for publication on New Hampshire sites.