29 Retailers You Thought Went Out of Business (But Are Still Alive)

Retail has been hit hard by coronavirus, with thousands of stores closing across the country.

Plenty of national chains have filed for bankruptcy and held massive liquidation sales. While some of these companies have called it quits, others are reemerging as online retailers.

At a time when online shopping is at an all-time high, a number of brands are trying to find new life via e-commerce.

 

Radio Shack

The home electronics giant of the ’80s and ’90s disappeared from the retail landscape in 2015, but in 2020, Retail Ecommerce Ventures, LLC purchased them and relaunched the Radio Shack website during Black Friday.

RadioShack’s beloved store brands have returned (online-only), including Enercell batteries and Powerhorn speakers.

RELATED: RadioShack Is Making a Comeback in Time for Black Friday

 

Payless

The shoe chain closed up shop in 2019, but they’re back after bankruptcy — with an all-new Payless.com.

They don’t have any physical stores at the moment, but they’re planning to open up to 500 new stores over the next few years.

RELATED: Payless Is Back and Planning to Open New Shoe Stores

 

Pier 1

Pier 1’s liquidation sales aren’t even over yet, but the home furnishings company’s new owners have indicated that the brand’s future is in e-commerce. The new Pier1.com opened on Sept. 1, 2020.

 

Toys”R”Us

The once-mighty toy store has gone from seller to curator, and their toysrus.com website presents a collection of featured products, linked to Amazon.

They’re still hoping for a brick-and-mortar revival at some point, though.

 

Barneys New York

The luxury department store closed all 22 of their stores when they filed for bankruptcy in 2019, but they’ve reemerged as a store-within-a-store at Saks Fifth Avenue (their former rivals).

Not only is Barneys included in the Saks flagship store in New York City, but Barneys at Saks is represented on the Saks website.

 

Linens ‘ n Things

Linens ‘n Things had nearly 600 stores before debt and bankruptcy shut all stores. Retail Ecommerce Ventures, LLC bought them in 2020 and relaunched the brand as an online-only retailer at LNT.com.

They’re selling decor, linens, pillows & cushions, lighting & candles, kitchen, outdoor, holidays and dining & entertainment goods.

 

Modell’s Sporting Goods

Another casualty of 2020, 130-year-old regional chain Modell’s Sporting Goods went out of business and closed all stores before being purchased out of bankruptcy by Retail Ecommerce Ventures, LLC.

Although the chain’s 150 stores won’t return, Modells.com is back up and running, selling Nike, Adidas, Converse and more.

 

DressBarn

They closed all of their locations in 2019, but DressBarn has continued on as a successful online-only retailer (with plenty of discounts) as of January 2020.

 

Gymboree

The children’s brand went bankrupt in early 2019 and was bought by competitor The Children’s Place. They relaunched Gymboree as a successful online retailer with some branded displays inside TCP stores.

 

 

Justice

Tween-focused apparel retailer Justice closed all of their stores this year, and owner Ascena sold them to Retail Ecommerce Ventures, LLC. ShopJustice.com was open for months after the sale, but as of January 2021 the site was “under construction” for a “new chapter” as an online-only brand.

 

American Apparel

When Gildan Activewear bought them in 2017, they closed all 110 U.S. stores, and now American Apparel operates exclusively online — pointing all sales of their tops, shirts/tanks, skirts/shorts, and jeans/pants/leggings to their marketplace within Amazon.

 

Bose

Even before COVID, Bose — the maker of headphones and audio products — decided to close down all of their physical stores, instead focusing on their growing e-commerce operations.

 

Catherine’s

As Ascena Retail Group closes all of the brick-and-mortar Catherine’s plus-size women’s stores, the Catherine’s website remains open. However, that could change, as the retailer is looking for a buyer.

RELATED: Ann Taylor & LOFT’s Parent Company Has Filed Bankruptcy

 

New York & Company

New York & Company liquidated as part of their bankruptcy filing this year, but their website will remain open. Sunrise Brands LLC just bought the department store’s e-commerce operations and plans to keep nyandcompany.com running. Physical stores are done, however.

 

IZOD & Van Heusen

IZOD & Van Heusen’s parent company will be closing all of these brands’ retail outlets, or converting them into Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger stores.

The IZOD & Van Heusen brands — which are sold in many retail stores worldwide — aren’t going anywhere, and so expect the IZOD/Van Heusen websites (which are currently interchangeable) to keep chugging along after the physical stores shut down.

 

These stores are shifting to being “mostly online” retailers

They’ve closed most of their stores, but not all of them. Still, these chains are now putting more emphasis on their e-commerce operations:

• Brooks Brothers
• Charlotte Russe
• Charming Charlie
• The Children’s Place
• GameStop
• Joseph A. Bank
• Kmart
• Lane Bryant
• Lou & Grey (absorbed by LOFT)
• Men’s Wearhouse
• Rue21
• Sears
• Sur La Table
• Tuesday Morning

 

UP NEXT: Liquidation Sales: Everything You Need to Know