Woonsocket, R.I. — CVS Health Corp. plans to close about 900 stores over the next 3 years, or about 300 stores a year, starting in spring 2022. The pharmacy retailer says the decision to close its stores was in order to focus more on its digital strategy. The store closures equal about 9% of the approximately 10,000 locations that the retailer currently operates. CVS says it will help those who lose their jobs as a result of the store closures to find a different role at another one of the …
Minneapolis — Target plans to expand to over 160 Disney shop-in-shop locations by the end of 2021. The Minneapolis-based retailer began opening Disney shops in select stores in 2019. The new stores will offer a collection of Disney items including toys and costumes ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Target’s fiscal report for the second quarter of 2021 showed that toys have been a growing category for the company, according to CNBC. The news outlet also reports Target plans to join with FAO Schwarz to offer a 70-piece toy …
Columbus, Ohio — Washington Prime Group, an Ohio-based owner-operator of regional malls and shopping centers, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. WPG cited insurmountable operating challenges tied to the COVID-19 pandemic as the primary catalyst behind the move. Against that backdrop, both CNBC and Reuters reported that many of the company’s tenants were unable to pay rent at various points in time over the last 16 months as public health mandates and lockdowns decimated foot traffic throughout the brick-and-mortar …
Leawood, Kan. — In an effort to remain financially afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. has raised or signed commitment letters to receive $917 million of new equity and debt capital. The Leawood, Kan.-based movie theater company says the increased liquidity should enable it to survive well into 2021. Of the $917 million, AMC raised $506 million of equity from the issuance of new common shares. Additionally, the company executed commitment letters for $411 million of incremental debt capital from upsizing and refinancing its European revolving credit …
Houston — Francesca’s, the Houston-based apparel and accessories chain for women, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close an additional 97 stores across the country, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Francesca’s had previously announced in mid-November that it would be closing 140 stores, or roughly 20% of its total count, and possibly pursuing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration. According to CNBC, Francesca’s has received a buyout offer from Los Angeles-based TerraMar Capital and hopes to close a sale by …
Indianapolis and Bloomfield Hills, Mich. — Simon Property Group and Taubman Centers Inc. have modified their merger agreement to include a new purchase price of $43 per share, enabling Simon to proceed with its acquisition of an 80% interest in Taubman. CNBC reports that the decline in the agreed-upon share price from $52.50 per share effectively reduces the price tag of the deal by $800 million. This announcement comes just as the two regional mall REITs were set to square off in Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial District of …
Knoxville, Tenn. — Regal Cinemas will temporarily suspend operations at all of its 536 U.S. theaters beginning Thursday, Oct. 8. British owner-operator Cineworld owns Knoxville, Tenn.-based Regal Cinemas, which has about 7,000 screens across its U.S. portfolio of theaters. Cineworld also announced plans to close all of its theaters in the United Kingdom this week. The closures will impact about 40,000 employees, according to Cineworld. “This is not a decision we made lightly, and we did everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the United …
Minneapolis — Target reported a 24.3% increase in total digital and in-store sales for the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the highest quarterly growth in the Minneapolis-based discount retailer’s history. Same-store sales grew by 10.9% during the quarter, while digital sales experienced a whopping 195% growth year over year. CNBC reports that during a call with reporters, Target CEO Brian Cornell stated that the volume of sales fulfilled by the company’s curbside pickup program grew by more than 70%, and that the company’s digital customer …
New York City — Rent the Runway, a New York City-based online service that provides rentals of designer clothes and accessories, will close its stores around the country in order to focus on building its digital platform, according to reports from CNBC and The Wall Street Journal. The New York City-based company will close its stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., while its flagship store in New York City will be converted into a permanent drop-off site for product distribution. CNBC reports that the company intends …
Plano, Texas — At Home, a home décor and furnishings retailer, posted net sales of $515 million in its fiscal second quarter, which ended July 25, and is reportedly looking to expand its footprint. That figure represents a 42% year-over-year increase in comparable store sales. At Home CEO Lee Bird told CNBC the first weekend in August that the company has been expanding its store count by about 20% per year over the last 7 years, and that it could grow from its current 219 stores to as many as 600. …
