The number of retail closings announced so far in 2019 has already topped last year’s totals

CHICAGO — The number of store closures announced in the first half of 2019 has already outstripped the number retailers announced in all of 2018.

More than two dozen chains, from Payless ShoeSource to Party City, have said they plan to shutter about 7,100 stores, up from about 5,400 throughout all of 2018, according to commercial real estate information firm CoStar Group.

Many of the locations retailers announced plans to close this year are smaller, easier-to-fill shops than the department stores and big-box chains that closed in prior years, said Drew Myers, senior consultant at CoStar. (READ MORE)