Claire’s To Close Nine Missouri & Illinois Locations
Following the announcement that the popular Claire's chain was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, the company announced that it would be closing 92 stores nationwide (including nine in Illinois and Missouri combined).
Not included in the list is the location in the Quincy Mall. However, the Springfield, Illinois store is set to close as well as stores in the Chicago and St. Louis areas. You can check out the full list of announced closures here. According to Business Insider:
"This decline may be attributable to several factors, including competition from big box retailers, large tenant closures (leaving malls without an 'anchor' tenant to drive foot traffic), and the increased popularity of online shopping," the company said in a bankruptcy filing.
In addition to ill-fated Best Buy, Toys R Us, and a slew of others, Claire's is one of those stores to which I have a sentimental and nostalgic connection. I suppose it won't be long before ALL of our shopping will be done online.