Victoria’s Secret Is Closing 20 Stores Around The Country

Oh no! This is sad news for the employees.

Victoria’s Secret is joining the ranks of stores like JCPenney, Sears and Toys R Us and closing 20 stores around the country.The announcement was made by Stuart Burgdoerfer, the CFO of the retailer’s parent company, L Brands, in a call with investors, according to Business Insider. Six Victoria’s Secret stores have already closed this year, while three more are slated to open. Victoria’s Secret has not announced the location of the 20 stores that will be closing.

The announcement comes as L Brands reported its second-quarter earnings, which showed that some same-store sales were down by 1 percent. The company also announced that Denise Landman, CEO of Victoria’s Secret PINK, will be retiring at the end of the year.

Getty Images | John Sciulli

The news of these closures comes after L Brands shares plummeted nearly 15 percent in January. L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner told the Wall Street Journal in February that despite decreasing store sales, Victoria’s Secret was going to remain largely brick-and-mortar (and the brand is trying to bring people into those stores).

“I’m convinced people want to go to the store. I don’t think this is the new norm,” he told Forbes when asked about people shopping online instead of in stores. “People want to be with people.”

Other Recent Store Closings

Victoria’s Secret is just one of a handful of retailers closing up shop around the country. Blockbuster only has one store left, Bon Ton has closed all stores and Gymboree, Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn, Justice, Sears, Kmart and JCPenney all have closed hundreds of locations.

When Toys R Us closed all of their stores, many people reminisced about childhood trips to pick out their favorite toys. The store closures also meant many mothers-to-be were scrambling to redo their baby shower registries.

Flickr | MikeKalasnik

After closing more than 100 stores so far this year already, Sears recently announced another round of closures for Sears and Kmart stores across the country.

Of the 3,500 Kmart and Sears store that were open in 2005, when the companies merged, there are about 900 locations that remain open.

Employees at 13 Kmart stores and 33 Sears stores were notified that their locations would close by November. Liquidation sales at some of the stores will start as soon as Aug. 30.

Flickr | MikeKalasnik

“We continue to evaluate our network of stores, which is a critical component to our integrated retail transformation, and will make further adjustments as needed,” the company said in a statement.

Here are the Sears and Kmart stores that are going to close:

Kmart:

• Spring Valley, California,
• Clovis, California,
• Antioch, California
• Los Angeles, California (at 6310 W. 3rd Street)
• Milford, Connecticut
• Newark, Delaware
• Steger, Illinois
• Cape Girardeau, Missouri
• Columbus, Mississippi
• Riverhead, New York
• Gresham, Oregon
• Scott Depot, West Virginia
• Gillette, Wyoming

Sears:

• Flagstaff, Arizona
• Santa Cruz, California
• Grand Junction, Colorado
• Tampa, Florida (at University Square Mall)
• Doral, Florida
• Naples, Florida
• Savannah, Georgia
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Brunswick, Georgia
• Bloomington, Illinois
• Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Florence, Kentucky
• Hammond, Louisiana
• Holyoke, Massachusetts
• Taunton, Massachusetts
• Jackson, Michigan
• Crabtree, North Carolina
• Salem, New Hampshire
• Manchester, New Hampshire
• Mays Landing, New Jersey
• Victor, New York
• Glen Falls, New York
• New Hyde Park, New York
• Dayton, Ohio
• Cincinnati, Ohio (at Northgate Mall)
• Happy Valley, Oregon
• Houston, Texas (at Memorial City Mall)
• Bryan, Texas
• West Jordan, Utah
• Fairfax, Virginia
• Vancouver, Washington
• Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• La Crosse, Wisconsin