Rue 21 Closing 400 Stores, 15 in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Teen clothing retailer Rue 21 has announced it is shutting down 400 stores throughout the U.S. to focus on its online sales, including 15 in North Carolina. The closures represent about a third of the company’s 1,100 brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S.

Only one store in the Charlotte area will be closed. It is located at Rivergate Shopping Center, 14141 Steele Creek Rd. Charlotte’s Belgate Center store on Ikea Blvd. will remain open.

There will be plenty of other store options remain in the area, too. Other branches of the store in the region in Mooresville, Pineville, Concord, Matthews, Statesville, Gastonia and Hickory will also remain open.

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The store offered a 30 percent off coupon online, saying, “It’s true -- we are closing some stores. It was a difficult but necessary decision. But the good news is we still have hundreds of locations across the country, and our website rue21.com, open for business!”

Store Closures in North Carolina:

• Albemarle
• Asheville
• Burlington
• Cary
• Charlotte - Steele Creek Rd.
• Elizabeth City
• Havelock
• Hendersonville
• Holly Springs
• Morehead City
• New Bern
• Reidsville
• Wilkesboro
• Wilson
• Zebulon

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