At least three major retailers will close stores in Connecticut this year as part of a nationwide shift to cut costs and adapt to online shoppers, on the heels of a record-breaking 2016 Cyber Weekend and disappointing holiday retail sales.
Pier one in West Hartford just started its liquidation process. The company has not yet announced a closing date.
Two Connecticut Sears locations are also on the chopping block. West Hartford’s Sears started liquidating in November and will close its doors for good on January 28. The Sears at Enfield Square will begin liquidation January 6 before closing in April.
Cromwell’s Kmart, also owned by Sears, will also liquidate starting January 6. It will close mid-March.
A few other big-time retailers face nationwide cuts, including Macys, which will close 100 more stores, or 15 percent of its brick-and-mortars. The company has named 68 of those locations, none of which are in Connecticut.
Analysts warn a potential downward spiral for smaller mall stores, as anchor shops shut down some locations. Aeropostale, The Limited and Finish Line are among a few of those companies with plans to downsize in 2017.
And several reports cite CVS executives at a December event, announcing it will close 70 stores as it looks to cut 3 billion dollars in the next four years. No word yet on if any of those stores are in Connecticut.
Local
As shoppers look to take advantage of liquidation sales, NBC Connecticut has previously reported that consumers likely won’t find very many great deals until the last week or two of liquidation.
Also, keep in mind, often times items bought on liquidation are final sale and cannot be returned or exchanged.
