US Retail Slump to Continue in 2019 With Thousands of Store Closings Due to the rise of online shopping, the retail industry is looking at another rough year. As of Mid-March, 5,300 stores say they will cease operations. Nearly half of the 2019 closings are Payless, which filed for bankruptcy last month. Charlotte Russe will also close approximately 520 stores. Just like Payless, the clothing retail chain filed for bankruptcy in February this year. In addition, Gymboree will close 805 locations in 2019. The child apparel store filed for bankruptcy back in 2017. Last year, a record 155 million feet of retail business space closed their doors.
