2020 Sees The Start Of Another Round Of Chain Stores Closing

MILWAUKEE, WI — The retail shopping season is off to a rocky start in Wisconsin in 2020, as two popular eating establishments, a popular clothier and a home furnishing store have all either closed or announced closures that will take place this year.

Bar Louie

Two Milwaukee-area Bar Louie locations have closed in the Milwaukee area after owners of the chain restaurant reportedly closed 38 locations across the U.S. as part of a bankruptcy filing.
CEO Tom Fricke said in a statement: "The sale through Chapter 11 will help us to focus on our profitable core locations and expand in areas that have a proven track record of success." Bar Louie filed for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

The Bar Louie at 1114 N. Water Street in Downtown Milwaukee closed on Saturday, Jan. 25, as did the one at the Bayshore Town Center. The location at 95 N. Moorland Road in Brookfield will remain open.

"To our loyal guests, our last day of business was January 25th, 2020. Please go to www.barlouie.com/locations to find the Bar Louie nearest to you," the Facebook post said.

Gap

Two Gap clothing stores in Wisconsin are closing. The store closures were part of a plan announced in February 2019 to close 230 stores across the country.

The two stores on the list are both in Madison: on State Street and a in West Town Mall, the company said. Gap management said the stores that closed were either under-performing or no longer fit the vision for the future of the company.

"We are confident these closures will strengthen the health of the specialty fleet moving forward and will serve as a more appropriate foundation for brand revitalization," the company's management said in a statement on its website.

Blaze Pizza

Earlier this month, the Blaze Pizza on the southeast corner of Highway 20 and Highway 31 in Racine quietly closed.

Billed as a fast-casual pizza place, Blaze opened in 2017 and had been open for about two years before closing its doors in mid-January.

According to a Journal Times report, a sign taped on the door asked customers to go to other Blaze Pizza locations owned by John Kovacs in Milwaukee, Brookfield and West Allis.

Pier 1 Closing 450 Stores

Pier 1 Imports, which has 12 locations in Wisconsin, 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.

The home furnishing store 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 deals with less 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 the same period a year ago.

Here are the locations for Wisconsin:
Brookfield
Eau Claire
Fond du Lac
Germantown
Glendale
Grafton
Greenfield
Janesville
Kenosha
La Crosse
Madison
Racine