Retailers You Won't Be Seeing In Pennsylvania In 2019

The beloved chain Toys R Us was likely the most high-profile retail closure in 2018, but it’s one of just many stores that you won’t be seeing in 2019.

According to Coresight Research, U.S. retailers have announced 5,436 store closures in 2018, as of Dec. 19. Coresight’s research shows that the number of store closures in 2018 is far lower than the closures in 2017. In 2017, there were 8,139 store closures and 4,231 openings, according to Coresight.

We’ve compiled a list of major store closures announced in 2018. Stores may have already closed or will shutter in 2019.

Brookstone

Brookstone has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and planned to close all of its remaining mall locations, including King of Prussia. The company, facing declining foot traffic and sales, announced it is hiring liquidators to close its roughly 100 remaining mall locations. It hopes to keep open its 35 remaining airport stores.

Crazy 8

Parent company Gymboree Group Inc. said intends to close all Crazy 8 stores, which advertises that it sells "cool clothes" for kids. Pennsylvania has several, including Exton, Montgomery Mall, Bensalme, Springfield, and Lancaster.

"These strategic initiatives are an important next step as we continue to look for ways to unlock additional value in our brands," said Shaz Kahng, Gymboree Group CEO "We are optimistic about our future as a more streamlined organization that can deliver enhanced, long-term value to its stakeholders.

"Our team remains focused on delivering the quality children's clothing and accessories and exceptional service that our customers have come to expect from us."

Gap Body

Gap Body's location in Newtown closed in August, and then swiftly reopened in the fall as another Gap-owned brand, Athleta.

Henri Bendel

The luxury store shut down all 23 of its locations back in September, including its store at the King of Prussia Mall. Owner L Brands said in a statement that they planned to invest in "more profitable labels."

Mattress Firm

The Houston-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, and a representative said they emerged from it December. When filing for bankruptcy, the company said it planned to close 200 stores in the immediate future and in total planned for up to 700 closures. In November, the company said it was moving forward with an optimized store footprint of approximately 2,600 stores. In Pennsylvania, these local stores were selected for closure: King of Prussia, Northeast Philadelphia, Lancaster (2), and Reading. Not all Pennsylvania stores will be closing, and some will remain open in Pennsylvania.

Starbucks

Starbucks closed its Manayunk location early this winter. There have been a few new coffee shops that opened up their doors in the neighborhood lately, including Pilgrim Roasters. It's one of nearly 150 casulaties Starbucks announced over the summer, with most of the closings coming to heavily populated areas that already had nearby Starbucks.

Sears and Kmart

The Illinois-based chains filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October, announcing the closure of 142 unprofitable locations. The 142 stores slated for closure when Sears filed for bankruptcy aren’t the only Sears/Kmart locations the company is shuttering. At least 46 locations were already set to close by the end of November.

Yet another round of closings announced by the company in November included 40 stores set to close in February 2019, according to USA Today. A total of 13 Pennsylvania stores are slated to close, including Kmarts in Altoona, Allentown, Carlisle, Hummelstown, Matamoras, New Kensington, Phoenixville, Pleasant Hills, and Thorndale, and Sears in Dubois, Bensalem, Langhorne, and Pittsburgh.

Teavana

Starbucks closed all of its 379 largely mall-based Teavana stores, including the King of Prussia location, earlier in 2018.

Toys R Us

After much speculation about the company’s future, Toys R Us announced in March 2018 that it would be shutting down its operations in the U.S., closing 735 stores. The iconic toy store closed all of its U.S. locations over the summer, including 28 across Pennsylvania.

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