Life has been challenging for U.S. retail chains over the past decade. The Covid-19 pandemic forced widespread store closures, long-standing supply sources became uncertain, and customers’ buying habits changed rapidly, with online retail sales growing from 7.4% of total retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 16.4% in third quarter of 2025. In the last few years several major retailers declared bankruptcy, including Bargain Hunt, Big Lots, The Container Store, Eddie Bauer, Forever21, Francesca’s, Joann Fabrics, Party City, Rite Aid, and Saks Global.
