Iconic Mall Retailer Quietly Closing Dozens Of Stores: See RI Locations

Home fragrance retailer Bath & Body Works has closed nearly 100 stores in the past year as it transitions from a mall mainstay to a brand with a wider variety of points of entry for shoppers, according to the company.

From Feb. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, the retailer closed 62 U.S. stores and opened 94, Bath & Body Works said in a March news release. Internationally, during the same timeframe, it closed 30 locations and opened 74. As of Jan. 31, Bath & Body Works had 1,927 stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 573 internationally.

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“Our real estate portfolio remains healthy, with 60% of our fleet in off-mall locations,” Chief Financial Officer Eva Boratto said in a fourth quarter earnings call in March, according to a transcript published by Investing.com. “In the quarter, we opened 21 new North American stores, all off-mall and closed 28 stores, primarily in malls. For the year, we opened 32 net new stores.”

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The company’s net sales decreased 0.2% in the year ending Jan. 31, compared to that ending Feb. 1, 2025. Bath & Body Works is forecasting net sales to decline between 4.5% and 2.5% in fiscal year 2026.

“We are definitely looking for improved performance in our hero categories, specifically body care in 2026, and expanded reach and incremental sales from the new distribution channels that we will open this year, like Amazon, which we opened on February 20th,” CEO Daniel Heaf said in the earnings call, according to the transcript.

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The company expects to reduce its new store openings in 2026, with square footage growth of about 1%, Boratto said in the call.

The recent developments for Bath & Body Works come as the retailer in November launched its four-pronged Consumer First Formula, which focuses, in part, on meeting new consumers where they are.

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Bath & Body Works has four Rhode Island locations, according to the company's store locator.

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