Core mall retailer Zumiez (aka “trendy clothing chain”) is responding to the failing health of malls by closing 25 stores in 2026, according to a story on KTLA5.
Last year, Zumiez shuttered 17 stores, and CEO Richard Brooks told investors the company plans to close another 25 locations in 2026, 20 of them in the United States. . . He said the closures aren’t a reflection of slowing demand, but rather a strategic shift away from underperforming shopping malls, many of which have struggled to recover foot traffic lost during the pandemic and amid the continued growth of online shopping.
With around 700 more stores to go Zumiez has room to contract for a while before anything gets too worrisome. After all, Tom Campion and Gary Haakenson started with only one store.
[Link: KTLA5]