Retailer store closings will continue well past 2017

Retail chains closed more than twice as many stores in 2017 as the year prior, a total of 6,985, according to FGRT. A good number of those were the result of bankruptcies‚ RadioShack, Payless and Rue21 included. And the overall retail industry footprint will continue to shrink in 2018 and 2019 as some companies, like Gap and J.Crew, plan to shutter stores over the next couple of years, and others, like H&M, factor fewer store openings into their plans.