2 More Illinois Retail Chains Announce Store Closings

ILLINOIS — It looks like not everything lasts forever. The retail chain Forever 21 is expected to close up to 178 stores in the United States, and home decor store Pier 1 could close up to 145 of its own locations.

Forever 21 announced it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a letter to customers Sunday.

The teenage clothing store made it clear, though, it wasn’t going out of business, and instead filed for bankruptcy protection as a “deliberate and decisive step to put us on a successful track for the future,” according to the letter.

Pier 1 announced their own possible store closings after reporting low financial results Wednesday.

“As anticipated, our fourth-quarter sales and profitability were disappointing and reflect the execution issues we identified earlier in the year and have been working with urgency to correct,” Cheryl Bachelder, interim Pier 1 CEO, said in a statement.

The two companies join a growing list of brick-and-mortar establishment that have seen a nosedive in revenue and popularity with the emergence of e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart.

“We are confident this is the right path for the long-term health of our business,” Forever 21 said in the letter to customers. “Once we complete a reorganization, Forever 21 will be a stronger, more viable company that is better positioned to prosper for years to come.”

Neither chain has yet specified the locations that will be closed.

Here are the Forever 21 locations in Illinois:

• 2000 N. Neil St., Champaign
• 1068 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora
• 1650 Premium Outlet Blvd., Aurora
• 122 Commons Drive, Geneva
• 300 Yorktown Center, Lombard
• 191 Chicago Ridge Mall Drive, Chicago Ridge
• 500 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook
• 7501 West Cermak Road, North Riverside
• 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg
• 5220 Fashion Outlet Way, Rosemont
• 4146-E North. Harlem Ave., Norridge
• 10 South State St., Chicago
• 865 W. North Ave., Chicago
• 20393 N. Rand Road, Kildeer
• 835 N. Michigan, Chicago
• 4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie
• 2270 Northbrook Court, Northbrook
• 6170 West Grand Ave., Gurnee
• 134 St. Clair Square, Fairview Heights

Here are the Pier 1 locations in Illinois:

• 3064 Plainfield Road, Joliet
• 1116 W Boughton Road, Bolingbrook
• 15150 South La Grange Road, Orland Park
• 2520 US Highway 34, Oswego
• 4362 East New York, Aurora
• 7320 191st Street, Tinley Park
• 110 Danada Square West, Wheaton
• 9820 Ridgeland Ave., Chicago Ridge
• 2155 West 22Nd St., Oak Brook
• 481 North Randall, Batavia
• 360 W Army Trail Road, Bloomingdale
• 1143 West Lake St., Oak Park
• 1660 North Illinois 50, Bourbonnais
• 358 Randall Road, South Elgin
• 1014 S Canal St., Chicago
• 1574 N Kingsbury St., Chicago
• 1522 E Golf Road, Schaumburg
• 5637 West Touhy Ave., Niles
• 2331 Willow Road, Glenview
• 2371 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
• 20530 N Rand Road, Deer Park
• 718 South Randall Road, Algonquin
• 701 N Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills
• 3062 W. Illinois 60, Mundelein
• 2328 N Richmond Road, McHenry
• 6325 East State St., Rockford

Forever 21 saw its revenue decrease to $3.3 billion last year, which is down from $4.4 billion in 2016, according to the New York Times. The company also has laid off more than 10,000 people since 2016.

Pier 1 has been dealing with its own recent troubles. It had to close 30 stores at the end of its fiscal year in March, and the number of closures now could affect 15 percent of its outlets.