Nashville retailer's struggle: 100 store closures spell trouble for an iconic brand
Popular shoe retailer Journeys has announced it will close more than 100 stores over the next year. The brand which was founded in Nashville, Tennessee primarily sells teenage footwear but has experienced a sales slump of late forcing the decision.
Let's take a quick look at the story.
The Nashville retailer
Journeys is a specialty chain retailer of branded fashion footwear and accessories. Its first store opened at Rivergate Mall in Nashville, Tennessee in 1986 and it has since grown to over 1,200 stores across the nation. It was once dubbed the 'anti-Foot Locker.'
Journeys was purchased in 1994 by another Nashville retail company Genesco.
This week Genesco, which also owns Little Burgundy, Schuh, and Johnston & Murphy, among other brands, provided an update on its earnings in which it made the announcement it will be closing at least 100 Journey stores by April 2024.
"Consumer demand at Journeys dropped off significantly early in the quarter and did not improve as we changed seasons in the latter part of March and into April...in response, we are taking swift actions to mitigate the consumer shift in the marketplace, including closing more underperforming Journeys stores, reducing our cost base further, and working to quickly refine our product assortment.” Genesco CEO Mimi Vaughn
There are currently four Journeys stores in Nashville and thirty in Tennessee. Genesco has not stated which stores will be the ones that will close but I will update readers when these have been announced.
Journeys is not the only shoe retailer struggling.
Shoe City is closing all of its stores across the nation on May 31 while Foot Locker has also announced they will close 400 stores.
Your thoughts
Are you concerned about the number of retail stores closing in Nashville and across the nation? Should the government offer financial support for struggling businesses or laid-off workers? Do you fear we are heading towards a recession?
Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below and share this article on social media and with others so more people can join the discussion.
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