8 Retailers That Will Close the Most Stores

[Hum]

It is the time of year again, when America?s largest retailers release those critical holiday season figures and disclose their annual sales. A review of these numbers tells us a great deal about how most of the companies will do in the upcoming year. And while successful retailers in 2012 may add stores this year, those that have performed very poorly may have to cut locations during 2013 to improve margins or reverse losses.

For many retailers, the sales situation is so bad that it is not a question of whether they will cut stores, but when and how many.

Several of America?s largest retailers have been battered for years. Most have been undermined by a combination of e-commerce competition, often from Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and more successful retailers in the same areas.

1. Best Buy

> Forecast store closings: 200 to 250

> Number of U.S. stores:1,056

> One-year stock performance: -36.8%

2. Sears Holding Corp.

> Forecast store closings: Kmart 175 to 225, Sears 100 to 125

> Number of U.S. stores: 2,118

> One-year stock performance: 8.8%

3. J.C. Penney

> Forecast store closings: 300 to 350

> Number of U.S. stores: 1,100

> One-year stock performance: -53.6%

4. Office Depot

> Forecast store closings: 125 to 150

> Number of U.S. stores: 1,114

> One-year stock performance: 50.7%

5. Barnes & Noble

> Forecast store closings: 190 to 240, per company comments

> Number of U.S. stores: 689

> One-year stock performance: 8.95%

6. Gamestop

> Forecast store closings: 500 to 600

> Number of U.S. stores: 4,471

> One-year stock performance: -2.2%

7. OfficeMax

> Forecast store closings: 150 to 175

> Number of U.S. stores: 872

> One-year stock performance: 80.8%

8. RadioShack

> Forecast store closings: 450 to 550

> Number of U.S. stores: 4,412

> One-year stock performance: -68.1%

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[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

It appears that Obama's plan is not working. What happened to that stimulus money?

[Anibal P]

It appears that Obama's plan is not working. What happened to that stimulus money?

I will counter that things are going exactly how he and his handlers want things to go, from bad to worse, I've seen nothing from the Democrats that would not make things worse not better

[remixedcat]

and why coudn't it be wal mart??? :( this sucks cuz we need more tech stores and less crappy stores. :(

[Bryan R.]

and why coudn't it be wal mart??? :( this sucks cuz we need more tech stores and less crappy stores. :(

Why do we need more tech stores? We don't really... The idea of having stores like Best Buy and RadioShack is hugely cost inefficient. Wal Mart isn't inherently bad, they just want to get by with the least overhead as possible which is why their service sucks so much.

[remixedcat]

Why do we need more tech stores? We don't really... The idea of having stores like Best Buy and RadioShack is hugely cost inefficient. Wal Mart isn't inherently bad, they just want to get by with the least overhead as possible which is why their service sucks so much.

you wanna wait 3 days to get an SD card??? or a simple mouse or USB drive? or do you wanna run down to radio shack or best buy and grab one really quick and have it that day?

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Why do we need more tech stores? We don't really... The idea of having stores like Best Buy and RadioShack is hugely cost inefficient. Wal Mart isn't inherently bad, they just want to get by with the least overhead as possible which is why their service sucks so much.

Try buying anything at Wal*Mart that was made in The USA.

[Mr. Gibs]

It appears that Obama's plan is not working. What happened to that stimulus money?

What? A lot of those companies are closing shops because they're archaic and overpriced.

Best Buy - I shouldn't even need to bother explaining this one. Their customer service is terrible, their products are overpriced and they try to rip you off at every opportunity. There are tons of other places to get electronics for cheaper and with better service.

Barnes And Noble - Brick and mortar stores for books have been disappearing because online retailers like Amazon can sell the exact same books for a lot cheaper. Amazon doesn't have to worry about the massive costs of opening / maintaining stores, they only need a couple of massive warehouses and done.

Gamestop - Same story as B&N. Online stores like Steam and Origin have totally taken over the PC gaming market. For console games you have Amazon.

Radioshack - Same story as Best Buy just their customer service is better.

Try buying anything at Wal*Mart that was made in The USA.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that 90%+ of the stuff in Best Buy isn't made in the US either.

[Luc2k]

you wanna wait 3 days to get an SD card??? or a simple mouse or USB drive? or do you wanna run down to radio shack or best buy and grab one really quick and have it that day?

Don't they have all of those at random small local electronic stores? If not, maybe order in advance?

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that 90%+ of the stuff in Best Buy isn't made in the US either.

Possibly and 35% of the parts for GM cars are Foreign made.

[rfirth]

you wanna wait 3 days to get an SD card??? or a simple mouse or USB drive? or do you wanna run down to radio shack or best buy and grab one really quick and have it that day?

You don't have to wait 3 days. Stop by Walmart and pick one up.

[remixedcat]

Don't they have all of those at random small local electronic stores? If not, maybe order in advance?

not all areas got those... mine doesn't... there's a place you can get high end home theater gear.... but no areas to buy a decent router or a class 10 Micro SD card I had to buy my G700 online, as no local places have those... they have maybe 2-3 Logitech mice that are on the lower-mid end and 2 choices of Linksys or Netgear routers and a 16Gb class 4 SD card. that's the choices you got here.

You don't have to wait 3 days. Stop by Walmart and pick one up.

all they got is lower class (speed) ones.... they rarely have any in stock that are higher then 8GB here as well...

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

I purchase most of my stuff at NewEgg but there are times when I want a part quickly, and I will not put anything in my PC or others that came from Wal*mart.

[Bryan R.]

you wanna wait 3 days to get an SD card??? or a simple mouse or USB drive? or do you wanna run down to radio shack or best buy and grab one really quick and have it that day?

Retail stores are not the same as, for instance, CompUSA. Best Buy and RadioShack are rip offs because they're hugely cost inefficient. So if my choices are being ripped off for some convenience, then yes, I will gladly wait 1-3 days. What will end up happening is online distributors will open up outlet stores to compliment their online presence.

[vcfan]

the biggest problem with best buy is management. do these guys hire their family members as store managers? because whoever manages these places has no business doing so. I was at best buy the other day,and their car audio stations weren't working,speakers were ripped out, stereos on display missing or have broken parts.

tvs looking atrocious because the settings are not correct.

computers and laptops frozen,or not working, or no power.

no wonder theyre shutting down.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Retail stores are not the same as, for instance, CompUSA. Best Buy and RadioShack are rip offs because they're hugely cost inefficient. So if my choices are being ripped off for some convenience, then yes, I will gladly wait 1-3 days. What will end up happening is online distributors will open up outlet stores to compliment their online presence.

Sometimes a customer will not wait that long.

[remixedcat]

Retail stores are not the same as, for instance, CompUSA. Best Buy and RadioShack are rip offs because they're hugely cost inefficient. So if my choices are being ripped off for some convenience, then yes, I will gladly wait 1-3 days. What will end up happening is online distributors will open up outlet stores to compliment their online presence.

yeah I avoid wal-mart like the plague. scary place.

but also if I need one right away... if I'm going on a trip and my sd does n;t work or I need more space really quick... I wanna grab one, throw my music and vids on it, stick it in my phone, then go...

[Bryan R.]

Try buying anything at Wal*Mart that was made in The USA.

That, to me, is an entirely different discussion. The morality of WalMart is without a doubt terrible but the huge company that they are is not inherently bad. They just do everything possible thing to save a buck and trample out competition. They are the pinnacle of capitalism.

Sometimes a customer will not wait that long.

I'm not saying there isn't a place for retail stores, we just don't "need" more of them. CompUSA should expand their presence, and I feel Amazon will take advantage of their power in the internet space to bring convenience to their customers who can't wait. Again, there's a difference between Best Buy and CompUSA.

[hagjohn]

Most of those companies were dying for a long while now. I'm not surprised.

[Order_66]

the biggest problem with best buy is management. do these guys hire their family members as store managers? because whoever manages these places has no business doing so. I was at best buy the other day,and their car audio stations weren't working,speakers were ripped out, stereos on display missing or have broken parts.

tvs looking atrocious because the settings are not correct.

computers and laptops frozen,or not working, or no power.

no wonder theyre shutting down.

Has it always been like that? perhaps they know the end is near and don't care anymore, could be why everything is in disarray.

I know at some places the employees and managers have been trying to tell upper management about some real glaring issues for the past few years and nobody listens to them, now they are looking at looking their jobs because nobody listened to them, I don't blame them for their grief.

Prime example, why would a large chain of stores continue to purchase certain computers that nobody wants? some of these stores literally have mountains of these computers in their warehouses with more coming in every week, they just keep piling up and nobody is buying them, managers have been complaining to their superiors for well over a month and these computers just keep rolling in for no good reason, millions of dollars just sitting there idle and sucking up inventory cost.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

That, to me, is an entirely different discussion. The morality of WalMart is without a doubt terrible but the huge company that they are is not inherently bad. They just do everything possible thing to save a buck and trample out competition. They are the pinnacle of capitalism.

I'm not saying there isn't a place for retail stores, we just don't "need" more of them. CompUSA should expand their presence, and I feel Amazon will take advantage of their power in the internet space to bring convenience to their customers who can't wait. Again, there's a difference between Best Buy and CompUSA.

There are no CompUSA stores around me. There are two Best Buy's and their lots are full every time I drive by. I only get canned air and such from these places. Maybe they will have a going out of business sale? :)