Pier 1 Imports, With 8 Hudson Valley Stores, To Close Up To 450

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Pier 1 Imports, which has eight locations in the Hudson Valley, is closing hundreds of stores, the company announced Monday. The retail chain said up to 450 locations — about half of its total — would be closed to "better align its business with the current operating environment."

The company plans to close certain distribution centers and lower its corporate spending, as well as lay off workers at the corporate level.

Pier 1 is using a third-party liquidator to help with the closings, noting that its lenders signed off on its plan to reduce its brick-and-mortar footprint.

Robert Riesbeck, CEO and CFO of the retail chain thanked store workers for their hard work and commitment to serving customers.

"Although decisions that impact our associates are never easy, reducing the number of our brick-and-mortar locations is a necessary business decision," he said in a statement.

The planned closures come as the company faces smaller foot traffic.

Net sales for the third quarter plummeted more than 13 percent to $358.4 million. That number was $413.2 million in the same quarter for the previous fiscal year. Company comparable sales fell more than 11 percent compared to same period a year ago.

The company also said there will be layoffs at the corporate level.

Here are the locations in the Hudson Valley.

• Newburgh - 1255 Route 300
• Poughkeepsie -2519 South Rd.
• Middletown - 400 North Galleria Dr.
• Mohegan Lake - 3125 East Main St.
• Bedford HIlls - 792 Bedford Rd.
• Spring Valley - 150 Spring Valley Market Pl.
• White Plains - 499 Tarrytown Rd.
• Port Chester - 427 Boston Post Rd.

Last fall, Pier 1 announced up to 145 store closings were possible in coming months.

Founded with a single location in 1962, Pier 1 Imports currently operates 936 stores in the United States.

Patch has reached out to the company for a list of stores closing and will update when we hear back.