National department store chain closed dozens of stores for good
April 5 was a dark day for the chain, which closed the doors forever at locations all around the country.
Many retailers have become very selective when it comes to what stores the chain keeps open. It seems like even successful chains occasionally shut down a location when a lease expires or even before if business gets bad enough.
Sometimes, that's just a question of shifting populations. People may have moved, or their work may no longer require them to be in the office every day.
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That can mean that fewer people drive by a specific location of a store, making it less necessary or even not necessary. Those types of closures, however, are simply part of doing business.
When you get big enough as a chain, even when you are doing well overall, there will be outliers that don't perform and need to be closed. Those are more a culling of the weak, than an overall sign of the health of the company.
Struggling companies, however, have to make more difficult decisions. Chains like Macy's have not only closed money-losing stores, but breakeven locations. That's an effort to conserve money and focus on the greatest areas of opportunities.
