There is no longer a mere retail is dying narrative behind store closures. The theme commonest to the 2026 shutdown plans is portfolio triage: companies are eliminating poorer addresses to focus staff and inventory and expenditure where stores are doing the best-and where online fulfillment will be able to shoulder more of the load.
In retail and restaurants, the proposed being put in place is about 870 locations that have already been identified that are planned to be shut down by 2026. Others are literally referring to the targets as underperforming and some are even timing exits to lease expirations and reorganizations. To the shopper, lived reality seems not so much a collapse but a rearrangement of the convenience whereabouts.
The result is uneven. One community is deprived of a local hangout; another acquires a new chain altogether. Below, the largest confirmed closure plans, which go all the way to 2026 and the rationale of them, are reflected.
1. Wendy’s: about 300 restaurants
Wendy has anchored its 2026 closure initiative on the performance of their location by stating that the targets are restaurants that are not performing according to expectations. Its approximate number of 300 places is estimated by leadership characterizing the closures as being a mid-single-digit proportion of an approximation of 6,000 in the US. To the customers, it is the smaller of the two evils: the reduction of the marginal stores and the greater focus on the better drive-thru markets where speed and consistency can be managed.
2. Pizza Hut: 250 restaurants
The parent company of pizza hut has announced that it plans to shut 250 stores in the US which are not doing well during the first half of 2026 as part of a long term endeavor to build a stronger brand. The US cut size is placed in relation to its global size as well- Yum! Brands has approximately 20,000 outlets all over the world- an indication that the shift is less of retreating but of pruning and re-positioning.
3. Carter’s: about 100 stores
Carter has announced that it will shut 150 stores in North America during the next three years due to leases expiring, and approximately 100 of those should be closed by the end of the year 2026. The firm has been positioning the strategy as the elimination of low-margin locations as well as cost streamlining. Practically, the brand is favoring even fewer stores and other forms of channels to serve the parents who still desire predictable sizing and quick re-stocking.
4. Macy: 80 stores (on a bigger plan of 150 stores)
Macy has reported its multiyear strategy as concentrating on its highest performing outlets and investing in its enhanced online encounter. The retailer has indicated that it anticipates terminating the plan with some 350 stores left. It would be a partial exit of malls, not an outright abandonment, and an attempt to be confident that the reduced fleet, with slightly better digital practices, can serve up a cleaner and more reliable experience than a large footprint.
5. Kroger: 60 supermarkets
Kroger has announced that it will shut 60 unprofitable stores within a period of 18 months, which would extend closures until 2026. Thousands of supermarkets have been run by the company in dozens of states, and thus the change of the footprint is not sweeping. The larger signal is a reality: grocery is becoming more and more a game of scale and efficiency, and weaker boxes are to be more difficult to justify as labor, shrink and fulfillment expectations increase.
6. Saks Off 5th: 57 stores
Saks Off 5 th intends to shut down 57 stores in early 2026 as its parent restructures. The shutdowns are among the other transformations within the larger portfolio of the luxury department-stores. To outlet store lovers who consider the shopping a treasure hunt, the shutdowns are a sign of a larger trend: off-price remains in demand, but not every store is capable of maintaining the personnel and stocking rigidity needed to make the experience interesting.
7. Yankee Candle: 20 stores
Newell Brands has announced that it will shut 20 Yankee Candle outlets in the US and Canada starting in January 2026, as well as layoff of over 900 workers. This initiative was explained by CEO Chris Peterson as follows: One, this productivity plan is about making the next, disciplined step toward making us more efficient, strategic and providing more effective and consistent performance. It is focused on putting resources in the most productive avenues instead of having a big specialty-store map.
8. REI: 3 stores
REI has also verified that it will shut three stores in the year 2026, and the first would be in Paramus, New Jersey then to its SoHo store in New York City and then to Boston store later in the year. The co-op has been able to position the closures as a response to evolving markets and customer demands. Another contemporary specialty-retail conflict highlighted in the ruling is that flagships could establish brand identity, but they were also costly to maintain in case shopping trends changed and foot traffic became less predictable.
Magnifying, the industry research indicates a less warm overall environment of closure compared to the point of peak pullback. To coreight, there are projections of 7,900 store closures in 2026, but there are more openings lean towards value and expansion-minded chains.
To consumers, the most obvious lesson is practical: the more a brand can execute a consistent and convenient experience, the more that is being reflected in the closures, rather than whether the brand can actually exist or not. The remaining stores are being requested to go beyond the cashier; they are anticipated to assist pickup, returns and immediacy and brand loyalty in the shopping society that is intolerant of friction.
