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#1
Department Stores / Re: Walmart
Last post by TheFugitive - Today at 11:17:23 AMWalmart has laid-off "hundreds" of office staff, and is requiring remote workers to return to the office.
https://apnews.com/article/walmart-layoffs-relocations-remote-work-cb6382a65d92f43058efb3a7fae238f1
This article is a bit unclear but it appears as if Walmart is shutting down campus offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Toronto and consolidating those functions in Bentonville, Hoboken, NJ and the SF Bay Area.
https://apnews.com/article/walmart-layoffs-relocations-remote-work-cb6382a65d92f43058efb3a7fae238f1
This article is a bit unclear but it appears as if Walmart is shutting down campus offices in Atlanta, Dallas and Toronto and consolidating those functions in Bentonville, Hoboken, NJ and the SF Bay Area.
#2
Dead or Defunct Malls and Shopping Centers / Shenango Valley Mall to close ...
Last post by TheFugitive - Yesterday at 01:29:39 PMThe Shenango Valley Mall, located in Hermitage, PA about an hour north of Pittsburgh, is slated to close on May 31.
https://www.sharonherald.com/news/thousands-bid-final-farewell-to-shenango-valley-mall-before-its-fall/article_558ded00-0a61-11ef-a05e-d7934ca8ccd5.html
The sprawling mall, which opened in March of 1968, suffered a fatal blow in 2017 when both Sears and Macy's announced that they were pulling out of anchor locations at the same time. They are down to just ten tenants plus the JC Penney anchor. The mall has been through several ownership changes and local officials wanted it torn down and replaced with a mixed-use development. The original owners of the mall, Forest City Enterprises, gave JC Penney a veto over any changes to the mall in order to get them to sign a lease and move in a year after the mall opened. In the opposite of what generally happens Penney's exercised its veto and effectively blocked the mall from being shut-down. This produced a multi-year legal battle which eventually wound-up at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In January Penney's decided to end the battle and announced that the store would close at the end of May. The other remaining tenants have been given notices to vacate by that date.
There is a section of this mall which was sealed-off from public access during a remodel and has retained its pristine vintage 70's decor. It can be seen in YouTube videos giving tours of the mostly empty mall. Plans are to begin demolition as soon as possible once all of the tenants have left.
https://www.sharonherald.com/news/thousands-bid-final-farewell-to-shenango-valley-mall-before-its-fall/article_558ded00-0a61-11ef-a05e-d7934ca8ccd5.html
The sprawling mall, which opened in March of 1968, suffered a fatal blow in 2017 when both Sears and Macy's announced that they were pulling out of anchor locations at the same time. They are down to just ten tenants plus the JC Penney anchor. The mall has been through several ownership changes and local officials wanted it torn down and replaced with a mixed-use development. The original owners of the mall, Forest City Enterprises, gave JC Penney a veto over any changes to the mall in order to get them to sign a lease and move in a year after the mall opened. In the opposite of what generally happens Penney's exercised its veto and effectively blocked the mall from being shut-down. This produced a multi-year legal battle which eventually wound-up at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In January Penney's decided to end the battle and announced that the store would close at the end of May. The other remaining tenants have been given notices to vacate by that date.
There is a section of this mall which was sealed-off from public access during a remodel and has retained its pristine vintage 70's decor. It can be seen in YouTube videos giving tours of the mostly empty mall. Plans are to begin demolition as soon as possible once all of the tenants have left.
#3
Current Restaurants / Red Lobster abruptly closes 87...
Last post by TheFugitive - Yesterday at 11:46:59 AMRed Lobster has abruptly closed 87 locations across the U.S. Their website lists the locations as "temporarily closed" although the media is reporting that liquidators have already been lined-up to sell off the equipment and furnishings.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/red-lobster-website-lists-87-locations-temporarily-closed-in-27-states-see-full-list/ar-BB1mnjXc?ocid=BingNewsSearch
It has been widely reported that Red Lobster is considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing after some poor quarterly results.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/red-lobster-website-lists-87-locations-temporarily-closed-in-27-states-see-full-list/ar-BB1mnjXc?ocid=BingNewsSearch
It has been widely reported that Red Lobster is considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing after some poor quarterly results.
#4
Current Shopping Malls and Shopping Centers / South Hills Village bucking th...
Last post by TheFugitive - Yesterday at 09:00:53 AMWell here's something you don't see every day. A mall actually ADDING new stores.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/upperstclair/first-new-south-hills-village-retailers-open
South Hills Village is a rare example of a healthy mall these days. It's located in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh in an area with pretty high per-capita income. It never made the mistake of overexpanding its square footage the way that many malls did during "peak mall" in the 80's and 90's. SH Village is pretty much on the same footprint as it was when it opened in 1965.
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/upperstclair/first-new-south-hills-village-retailers-open
South Hills Village is a rare example of a healthy mall these days. It's located in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh in an area with pretty high per-capita income. It never made the mistake of overexpanding its square footage the way that many malls did during "peak mall" in the 80's and 90's. SH Village is pretty much on the same footprint as it was when it opened in 1965.
#5
Stores Shutting Down This Year....2024 / Rue 21 files for bankruptcy, w...
Last post by TheFugitive - May 06, 2024, 12:31:33 PMTeen-oriented clothing retailer Rue 21, based here in the Pittsburgh area, has filed for bankruptcy protection and will close all of its stores.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/teen-clothing-retailer-rue21-files-100147751.html
Rue 21 has 540 stores (down from a pre-pandemic peak of over 1000). Rue's intellectual property is for sale which means that likely it will reappear someplace else as a pop-up shop within an existing retailer (Toys R Us) or as an online-only merchant (Bed, Bath and Beyond).
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/teen-clothing-retailer-rue21-files-100147751.html
Rue 21 has 540 stores (down from a pre-pandemic peak of over 1000). Rue's intellectual property is for sale which means that likely it will reappear someplace else as a pop-up shop within an existing retailer (Toys R Us) or as an online-only merchant (Bed, Bath and Beyond).
#6
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Tops
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:31:43 PMThe Stamford store is still hanging onto their old Grand Union checklane lights.
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#7
Grocery Stores/Supermarkets / Re: Big M
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:17:48 PMWalton, NY. Former Great American with what appears to be a Great American interior (had themed flooring). Full size shopping carts are square-body United Steel & Wire carts from 1992 and 2003 (only Technibilt carts here are express carts).
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#8
Shopping Cart Sightings / Re: More Tops Finds
Last post by Retail Regents - May 02, 2024, 10:12:30 PMStamford, NY. These replaced a set of newer, larger ex-Hannaford Instore carts.
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#9
Ames / Re: Ames History I've Found On...
Last post by BillyGr - April 30, 2024, 02:05:31 PMQuote from: 108CAM on April 29, 2024, 11:03:28 PMRecently I was watching a video about the history of candlepin bowling and had to pause it when I saw this overhead view of a bowling alley in Newport, ME.
When I first saw it, I said to myself; "That looks very similar to an Ames storefront" and took the screenshot you see above. I then took a look at the Wayback Machine archives of the Ames stores in Maine and found a listing for a store in Newport. I clicked it and boom. The building was an exact match to the building I saw in the video.
To double check and verify that the building was the same, I put the Ames address into Google Maps, checked the Streetview of the parking lot and was able to confirm that the building in the video is Ames #0383.
Opened in early 1985 as Ames #383 and closed in fall 2001 during the round of 47 stores which closed just before the 2nd bankruptcy.
Given how many bowling facilities have closed and converted to other things (including stores), it's nice to see one that went the opposite way :)
#10
Stores Shutting Down This Year....2024 / Re: Family Dollar to close 600...
Last post by TheFugitive - April 30, 2024, 11:54:39 AMOne reason why Family Dollar may be closing so many stores.
A lot of them are in really tough areas.
This one in Pittsburgh was robbed by the same guy three times in a week.
https://triblive.com/local/morning-roundup-police-say-homewood-man-robbed-same-family-dollar-store-3-times/
Would not be shocked to see it wind-up on the closing list then. This is terrible for the people who live in these neighborhoods because they lose what little options they have to buy necessities.
A lot of them are in really tough areas.
This one in Pittsburgh was robbed by the same guy three times in a week.
https://triblive.com/local/morning-roundup-police-say-homewood-man-robbed-same-family-dollar-store-3-times/
Would not be shocked to see it wind-up on the closing list then. This is terrible for the people who live in these neighborhoods because they lose what little options they have to buy necessities.