These actions, alongside recent changes to our organizational structure to drive efficiencies, provide a strong foundation for our future. - Todd Penegor, President and CEO, describing the company's response to financial challenges through store closures and organizational restructuring.
Walgreens has announced that it will cut at least 628 jobs across two states, according to communications it sent to the states in question earlier this month. A Walgreens spokesperson confirmed the layoffs with Fast Company when reached for comment. News of the layoffs was first reported by Bloomberg. The job cuts include 469 positions in the company's home state of Illinois and 159 jobs in Texas, where the company is shuttering a distribution center.
For more than a century, Eddie Bauer has been synonymous with American outdoor adventure apparel. Now the iconic brand is facing the possible collapse of most of its brick-and-mortar business as a bankruptcy filing looms. The retailer's roughly 180 stores across the United States and Canada could soon be shuttered amid plans for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing tied to the brand's North American store operations. Eddie Bauer, one of the oldest brands in American outdoor apparel, has a storied history. It's also faced bankruptcy twice before.
Amazon said it is discontinuing Amazon One, its palm-authentication service, across all retail businesses. Users will be able to continue to use Amazon One at supported retail locations until June 3, though some locations may phase the services out before this date. The services will remain available to patients for check-in at healthcare locations until further notice. Amazon One enables users to use their palms for actions such as paying at a store, presenting loyalty cards, and entering sports venues.
Retailers such as Dollar General and Nordstrom Rack plan major store expansions in the US in 2026. Store openings are outpacing closures so far, with nearly 300 closures announced for 2026. From Uniqlo to L.L. Bean, see what retailers have said about plans to open new stores next year.
There was no forever in store for Forever 21's US stores. The same goes for fellow bankrupt companies Joann Fabrics and Party City, which joined the fast-fashion brand in closing their brick-and-mortars over the past year. We experienced another slaughter for physical stores at large in 2025 as inflation and high operational costs ate away at profit margins and shoppers continued to purchase from their couches. Tween favorite Claire's, department stores Kohl's and Macy's, and discount retailer Big Lots were also victims.
Earlier this month, when a sudden swirl of social media rumors began to suggest that the polarizing bakery chain was closing down, some of the online reactions were downright gleeful. "Too sweet and too expensive!" went one typical comment. The chatter was so loud that Crumbl cofounder Sawyer Hemsley took to TikTok to dispel the rumor, explaining that the fast-growing chain is just moving offices as it prepares for its next wave of expansion.
The Decatur staple, which opened in 1996, has been sold for nearly $1 million by the Shumacher Group. The restaurant's patron, Ben Kori, has purchased the 4,800 square foot place, according to Tomorrow's News Today. Raging Burrito's original owner, Scott Herman, says he is retiring and took care in choosing the next owner. There is no word on Kori's plans for the future of the restaurant.
An uncertain economic environment has led some consumers to be more selective about where they spend their money. As a result, some are reaching for cheaper styles - fast-fashion retailers like Shein took market share from competing brands in 2024, according to data and analytics company GlobalData - or buying secondhand clothing. Many retailers and restaurants, such as baby apparel brand Carter's and department store chain Macy's, have been shuttering stores.
"Our first priority is clear. We need to clean out the garage of underperforming assets," executive chairman Ed Stack told investors during Dick's third-quarter earnings call. "This means clearing out unproductive inventory, closing underperforming stores, and rightsizing assets that don't align with our go-forward vision for the Foot Locker business." Stack said that while the business shows significant promise, Foot Locker's prior leadership did not respond appropriately to market changes, including Nike's decision to shift a greater portion of its business to direct-to-consumer sales.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
Starbucks said Thursday it's closing hundreds of stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe and laying off 900 nonretail employees as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround. The Seattle coffee giant said store closures would start immediately. Starbucks said affected baristas will be offered severance packages and transfers to other locations where possible. The company wouldn't give a number of stores that are closing, but the bulk of the closures appear to be in the U.S. and Canada. Starbucks said it expects to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ends on Sunday.
