17 Chain Stores In Illinois We Said Goodbye To In 2020

ILLINOIS — Businesses across the United States faced unprecedented challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, including chain stores. Here are several companies that closed their doors in 2020 due to economic fallout from the public health crisis:

Papyrus

The greeting card and gift chain’s 260 stores (down from 450) entered liquidation in January. Six stores in Illinois are slated for closure.

Macy's

The department store chain in early February announced plans to close 125 stores over the next three years, around a fifth of its brick-and-mortar footprint. The first Illinois stores slated for closure were in Carbondale and West Dundee, with 13 Macy’s stores remaining in the state.

Pier 1

The home furnishings chain in May announced plans to shutter all of its 541 stores. The company said it would reopen its stores after the pandemic but only long enough to sell off its inventory.

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond is closing stores across the U.S., including three in the Chicago area at 530 N. State St. in Chicago, 3340 Shoppers Drive in McHenry and 1057 N. Elmhurst Road in Mount Prospect. Company officials said in May that the stores "no longer meet the standards our customers expect from us."

J. Crew
The preppy clothier was the first major retailer in the U.S. to file for bankruptcy last May after the pandemic started. The retailer has a store in Northbrook Court.

Tuesday Morning

The home goods retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, closing stores in Downers Grove, Naperville and Wheaton.

GNC
The supplement chain in June filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close 13 Illinois stores and between 800 and 1,200 stores nationwide.

J.C. Penney
The department store chain in June said it would close 154 locations, including five in Illinois.

Catherine's

The affordable plus-sized clothing retailer for women is shuttering 13 stores in Illinois. Parent company Ascena filed for bankruptcy in July.

Justice

The tween-focused apparel chain for girls ages 6 to 12 closed 26 stores in Illinois. Parent company Ascena filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July. In the shop’s final week of liquidation, all inventory was priced under $10.

LOFT

Two Ann Taylor’s LOFT outlet stores closed, including a location at 662 W. Diversey Ave. in Chicago and one in Gurnee Mills. The Lou & Grey store at 3442 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago also shuttered. Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, parent company Ascena blamed the pandemic for negatively impacting "meaningful progress" toward getting the company back on track financially. Ascena filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July.

Lord & Taylor

America’s oldest department store filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August. The chain was acquired by the clothing retail start-up Le Tote in 2019. Both companies filed for bankruptcy. Lord & Taylor, which traces its roots to 1826, closed 37 stores, including the Woodfield Mall location in Schaumburg.

Men’s Wearhouse

Citing a lack of demand for men’s business attire during the coronavirus shutdown, parent Joseph A. Bank filed for bankruptcy in August, immediately shuttering nine stores in Illinois.

AMC Theatres

In June, the world’s largest movie chain expressed "substantial doubt" the company could remain in business after the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of all of its locations, including 51 screens in Illinois. AMC Woodridge 18 permanently closed in November.

Regal Cinemas

The second-largest cinema chain announced in October that it was suspending operations in the United States due to the pandemic. Nine Regal move theaters in Illinois were affected, including in Bolingbrook, Lake Zurich, Moline, Warrenville, Crystal Lake, Lincolnshire, Round Lake Beach, and two in Chicago — Webster Place and City North.

Stein Mart

The name-brand-for-less retail chain filed for bankruptcy in October and closed all of its brick and mortar stores. Stein Mart reportedly is being relaunched online by Retail Ecommerce Ventures, which also purchased Pier 1, according to CNN Business.

Francesca's

At the end of 2020, the boutique announced it was closing 140 locations nationwide after filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Joliet and Orland stores are among those that are shutting down.