Party City, Bath & Body Works Store Closings Include Illinois

Even if you're not a regular shopper at a certain store or stores, it's still not easy to hear about the impending "closing our doors forever" notices that have gone up at a whole bunch of major retailers over the last few months. I just hate to see so many people lose their jobs.

According to a piece at BusinessInsider.com, 2023 could be a year where we watch at least 800 stores remove their stock, take down their sign, and lock their doors permanently.

We know all about the problems that Bed Bath & Beyond is having (they're closing over 415 stores) as they continue to hemorrhage money and lose customers, but some other big names are on the BusinessInsider.com list, like:

• Tuesday Morning (closing 265 stores)
• Gap And Banana Republic (closing almost 75 stores)
• Walmart (closing 9 stores)
• Big Lots (closing 7 stores)
• Macy's (closing 6 stores)
• JC Penney (closing 2 stores, but they've closed over 150 since 2020)

Party City Has Announced The Closure Of 22 Stores, 1 In Illinois And 4 In Michigan, While Bath & Body Works Says That They're Closing Down 50 Stores In The US, 1 In Canada

Party City has nearly 40 stores scattered across Illinois with the majority of them in Chicago and suburbs (and Rockford, at 5836 East State Street), and about 800 stores in total.

After declaring bankruptcy back in mid-January, Party City has decided to auction off 12 stores and close 10, with Bradley, Illinois being the lone Illinois closure, at least for the time being (click here for the nationwide list).

For Bath & Body Works, It Looks Like They're Closing Only Mall Locations Right Now

Don't worry, it looks like you'll still have absolutely no problem feeding your three-wick candle and scented hand-soap addiction in the future, but it may not be at the mall. Bath & Body Works hasn't shared their list of planned closures yet, so no word right now about the fate of the store at Cherryvale Mall.

Even though Bath & Body Works is planning on closing 50 mall stores, they're somewhat unique among stores that are planning closures, because Bath & Body Works is actually expanding the number of stand-alone stores, with plans to add 90 new stand-alones, and remodel 25 others. Their total store count currently is around 1700.