Economy Watch: Some 12K Stores at Risk of Closure in 2018
Despite a strong holiday season, retailers will still face a wave of closures in 2018 that will likely surpass the 9,000 stores closed in 2017, according to recent Cushman & Wakefield estimates.
By D.C. Stribling, Contributing Editor
The year just past was a gloomy one for certain U.S. retailers, and while holiday sales were strong, that doesn’t mean that retail closures are going to slow down in 2018. In fact, according to an estimate by Cushman & Wakefield, more than 12,000 stores will close in 2018.
That ought to top even 2017, when about 9,000 stores closed, according to the company’s data. Now that the holidays are over, a wave of closures is likely to start.
Naturally, some retailers are more at risk than others in 2018. Among others, Sears, Destination Maternity Corp., Bon-Ton Stores, Stein Mart and Bebe Stores are thought to be at considerable risk of bankruptcy in the near future. Other chains are at lesser but neverthess real risk.
Closings of that magnitude would also likely have a rippling effect on retail real estate. Malls that are already in trouble, possibly numbering in the hundreds, would likely have to close as major retailers close.
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