Express, With Locations In NC, To Close 31 Stores This Month

NORTH CAROLINA — Fashion retailer Express will close 31 stores by the end of the month, the company announced. While none of the North Carolina Express stores are on this list, the company said more closings are expected by next year.

The retailer plans to close stores in 20 states, a move that follows the closure of nine locations in 2019, according to this week’s announcement. An additional 35 locations are expected to close by the end of January 2021, leaving a remaining 25 to shutter next year, Business Insider reports.

Express has five locations in the Charlotte metro:

• SouthPark Mall, 4400 Sharon Road, Charlotte
• Northlake Mall, 6801 Northlake Mall Dr., Charlotte
• Carolina Place Mall, 11025 Carolina Place Parkway, Pineville
• Charlotte Premium, 5422 New Fashion Way, Charlotte
• Concord Mills, 8111 Concord Mills Road, Concord

The closures are part of a new corporate strategy aimed at reducing costs and providing a boost to the struggling brand, according to a statement on the company’s website.

Express is one of several companies to announce closures this month. The well-known stationery store Papyrus is closing all of its stores across the country. Also this month, home decor retailer Pier 1 Imports said it plans to close nearly half of its stores, a move intended to "better align its business with the current operating environment."