Forever 21, Pier 1 Closing Stores; Bad News For Retailers In Ohio

STRONGSVILLE, OH — It looks like not everything lasts forever. The retail chain Forever 21 is expected to close up to 178 stores in the United States, and the home decor store Pier 1 could close up to 145 of its own locations.

Forever 21 announced it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a letter to customers on Sept. 29.

The teenage clothing store made it clear, though, it wasn’t going out of business, and instead filed for bankruptcy protection as a “deliberate and decisive step to put us on a successful track for the future,” according to the letter.

Pier 1 announced their own possible store closings after reporting low financial results on Sept. 25.

“As anticipated, our fourth-quarter sales and profitability were disappointing and reflect the execution issues we identified earlier in the year and have been working with urgency to correct,” Cheryl Bachelder, interim Pier 1 CEO, said in a statement.

Neither chain has specified which stores will be closed, but here are the Forever 21 locations in Northeast Ohio:

• Beachwood Place Mall — Beachwood
• Great Lakes Mall — Mentor
• Great Northern Mall — North Olmsted
• Southpark Mall — Strongsville

Here are the Pier 1 locations in Northeast Ohio:

• Legacy Village — Lyndhurst
• Uptown Solon — Solon
• The Greens of Strongsville — Strongsville
• Great Northern Plazas — North Olmsted
• Avon Commons Shopping Center — Avon
• The Shops of Fairlawn — Fairlawn
• Mentor Avenue — Mentor
• The Plaza at Chapel Hill — Cuyahoga Falls
• Grande Shops Avenue — Medina
• Youngstown Warren Road — Niles
• Everhard Road — Canton

The two companies join a growing list of brick-and-mortar establishment that have seen a nosedive in revenue and popularity with the emergence of e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart.

“We are confident this is the right path for the long-term health of our business,” Forever 21 said in the letter to customers. “Once we complete a reorganization, Forever 21 will be a stronger, more viable company that is better positioned to prosper for years to come.”