I have again been busy with family and personal business (again) over the last few days... Only had time to fire off my weekly rant, and have had little time for surfing the net to keep up with what has been happening around our sick world.... Yes, there has been a lot of disturbing happenings everywhere, and again it seems I do have some catching up to do!I have been watching a very disturbing trend the last while here in Canada...Business at the local shopping mall is definitely down, with fewer people walking in the mall and actually shopping in the stores.... Everywhere, businesses here are trying desperately to attract consumers with slashed prices and bargains... But try as they might, many retail businesses and outlets are definitely suffering with reduced sales, and losses that cannot be ignored... This is a definite sign that Canada is indeed in a full "recession".The retail market may be bad enough in Canada, but it is nothing compared to what is happening right now in the United States. I was in a short conversation with my good friend, Whitewraithe, just the other night, and we touched upon the troubling trend in retail businesses and how stores are closing everywhere across North America as a result... She found an amazing article that she posted at her site, Pragmatic Witness, at www.whitewraithe.wordpress.com, that I also want to share right here at my own site.... It is entitled: "2014 US Retail Downsizing And Store Closings Roundup", and I have it right here for everyone to see for themselves. I have my own thoughts and comments to follow: 2014 US Retail Downsizing & Store Closings Roundup Posted on May 27, 2014 by Whitewraithe In 2014, as in every calendar year, U.S. retail industry leaders, investors, analysts, and experts look at U.S. retail industry downsizing and store closing roundup numbers for clues about the overall health of the U.S. economy. When U.S. based retail chains close domestic or international physical retail store locations, retail industry and economic experts work to sort out whether the store closings are due to the failings of the individual retail chain and its leaders, or whether the store closings are a result of overall downturn in retail consumption that is likely to continue.What follows is a complete list of U.S. retail store closings, and downsizings of the largest U.S. retail chains both domestically and internationally that are scheduled to happen in the 2014 calendar year. This list is arranged alphabetically, according to the name of the retail chain. The latest store closing additions are indicated with bold lettering.The store closings on this roundup list were last updated on May 27, 2014.All 2014 U.S. Retail Industry Store Closings – Complete Alphabetized Company Listing of Store Closings:60 Aaron’s180 Abercrombie & Fitch (by 2015)1 Abercrombie Kids3 Ace Hardware3 ACO Hardware1 Aerie33 Archiver’s175 Aeropostale (“over the next several years”)26 Albertson’s18 ALCO150 American Eagle Outfitters11 American TV & Appliance2 Arden B223 Barnes & Noble (through 2023)1 Barnes & Noble College Bookstore1 Bedroom Expressions1 Belk2 Best Buy1 Big 51 Big Lots5 Bi-Lo300 Blockbuster91 Blockbuster (UK)1 Bon-Ton3 Books-A-Million15 Bridgestone145 Brown Shoes / Famous Footwear1 Broyhill Home Collections63 Build-A-Bear (through 2014)25 Build-A-Bear (through 2015)1 Carter’s17 Cato3 Champps Americana125 Children’s Place365 Coldwater Creek6 Cord Camera1 Cost Plus World Market20 Delhaize360 Dots1 East of England Co-op1 Eddie Bauer42 Edwin Watts Golf76 EE1 Family Christian Stores370 Family Dollar2 Finger Furniture1 Food Fast Convenience Store42 Fresh & Green’s128 GameStop20 Gilly Hicks1 Hallmark2 Haverty’s1 Hubbell & Hudson33 JCPenney1 JC’s 5 Star Outlet2 JMR Chalk Garden170 Jones Group (by mid-2014 )50 Kitchen Collection2 Kroger4 Len Druskin1 Lids Locker Room1 Life Is Good73 Liquidation World (Big Lots Canada)39 Loehman’s2 Lolabella Boutique5 Macy’s1 Max Club (Wal-Mart)74 McDonald’s (Japan)4 Meat House2 My Favorite Toy Store7 Noni B2 Nordstrom1 Oak Express15 Office Depot7 OfficeMax1 Pottery Barn1 Pottery Barn Kids2 Powell’s Books8 Price Busters125 P.S. from Aeropostale200 Radio Shack2 Rainbow Foods1 Ralph’s150 Rent-A-Center1 Ross Dress For Less155 Sbarro300 Sears1 Shaw’s4 Sprint Gas Stations1 Stop & Shop1 Sofa Mart20 SONY55 Sprint225 Staples (through 2015)1 Talbots Clearance Outlet12 Target2 Thomasville Home Furnishings1 Tom Thumb (Safeway)1 Toys ‘R Us1 Tuesday Morning76 Walgreens1 Wal-Mart1 Wawa26 Wet Seal1 WH Smith Books3 Williams-Sonoma1 Yankee CandleSource: http://retailindustry.about.com/od/USRetailStoreClosingInfoFAQs/fl/All-2014-Store-Closings-US-Retail-Industry-Chains-to-Close-Stores.htmWW~Notes: Check the attached link often for further updates. If possible, I will update the information at the end of the year. NTS Notes: This is indeed a very shocking report, and it definitely does appear that the retail businesses listed are only the beginning... Other retail businesses are definitely hurting badly due to this newest "recession" and they too will be facing downsizing and/or bankruptcy as well...Of course this list constitutes US retail store closings, but from what I have seen here in Canada, the decline of our economy is happening in this country as well.... I have always said that when it comes to the economic well being of our nations, when the US sneezes, Canada gets a cold.... The problem here is of course the fact that our nations can no longer spend their way out of this latest recession due to the crushing Usury debt loads that we are saddled with.... People simply no longer have the money! This is only the beginning.... We are watching all the telltale signs that we are indeed not in a "recession" but a full blown depression... Everyone will be affected, and we all must do our parts in preparing for at the least a severe economic downturn, and at worse, full economic meltdown.More to comeNTS
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