(CNN Money) — Toys “R” Us is planning to shutter a fifth of its U.S. stores, including the store in Fort Smith.
The troubled retailer, which declared bankruptcy in September, is looking to close down as many as 182 outlets across the country, according to a court filing late Tuesday.
Over nearly seven decades in business, Toys “R” Us has built up 1,600 stores around the world. About 880 of them are in the U.S.
The filing Tuesday by the company’s lawyers said the decision to shut so many stores was prompted by increased competition and a shift by customers toward online shopping.
The planned closures, which need court approval, are expected to begin early next month and be mostly completed by the end of April, Toys “R” Us CEO Dave Brandon said in a message to customers posted on the company’s website.
“The actions we are taking are necessary to give us the best chance to emerge from our bankruptcy proceedings as a more viable and competitive company,” he said.
Several other stores will be converted into co-branded Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us outlets, Brandon added.
Toys “R” Us stores outside the U.S. are unaffected.
Melanie Teed-Murch, president of Toys “R” Us Canada, said in a statement that all 83 locations there would continue operating as usual.
The news comes after a brutal year for retailers in the U.S. in which store closings more than tripled from the previous year to nearly 7,000 closings, setting a record. There was also an increase in the number of store openings, as more successful retailers moved into vacated locations. But the year marked the first time since the Great Recession of 2009 that there was an absolute decrease in the number of U.S. stores, according to Fung Global Retail & Technology, a retail industry think tank.
Much of the problem in traditional brick-and-mortar stores was because of a shift by consumers to buying more goods online. Foot traffic in stores fell 8% last year, according to Fung.
But the problems at Toys “R” Us predate the growth of online shopping. It suffered from fierce competition and lost market share to fellow big box retailers like Walmart and Target. It has lost nearly $2.5 billion since its last reported an annual profit five years ago, which has left it reeling under $5 billion in debt.
Unlike other retailers that have been steadily closing unprofitable locations, Toys “R” Us continued to add stores right up until recently. It had 1,691 company owned stores as of a year ago, up from 1,622 a year earlier. Still the store closings announcement was not a surprise. CEO Dave Brandon said in December that the company was studying the question of whether to close stores. The bankruptcy process makes it less costly for retailers to break lease on unprofitable locations.
Here’s the full list of closing stores:
Birmingham – Birmingham AL
Tuscaloosa – Tuscaloosa AL
Fort Smith – Fort Smith AR
Little Rock – Little Rock AR
Mesa – Mesa AZ
Scottsdale – Phoenix AZ
Paradise Valley – Phoenix AZ
Scottsdale – Scottsdale AZ
Tucson – Tucson AZ
Yuma – Yuma AZ
Brea – Brea CA
Brentwood – Brentwood CA
Corona – Corona CA
Emeryville – Emeryville CA
Fairfield – Fairfield CA
Folsom – Folsom CA
Fresno – Fresno CA
Indio – Indio CA
Puente Hills – Industry CA
Pinole – Pinole CA
Pittsburg – Pittsburg CA
Riverside – Riverside CA
Mira Mesa – San Diego CA
Mission Bay – San Diego CA
San Jose / Almaden – San Jose CA
E. San Jose – San Jose CA
San Rafael – San Rafael CA
Santa Ana – Santa Ana CA
Santa Clarita – Santa Clarita CA
Simi Valley – Simi Valley CA
Stockton – Stockton CA
Torrance – Torrance CA
Union City – Union City CA
Vista – Vista CA
Covina – West Corvina CA
Westminster – Westminster CA
Yuba City – Yuba City CA
Aurora – Aurora CO
Manchester – Manchester CT
Newington – Newington CT
North Haven – North Haven CT
Waterbury – Waterbury CT
Altamonte Springs – Altamonte Springs FL
Boca Raton – Boca Raton FL
Coral Springs – Coral Springs FL
Orange Park – Jacksonville FL
Kissimmee – Kissimmee FL
Kissimmee – Kissimmee FL
Midtown Miami – Express Miami FL
Port St. Lucie – Port St. Lucie FL
Royal Palm Beach – Royal Palm Beach FL
St. Petersburg – St. Petersburg FL
Tallahassee – Tallahassee FL
Tampa – Tampa FL
Albany – Albany GA
Alpharetta – Alpharetta GA
Smyrna – Atlanta GA
Douglasville – Douglasville GA
Dunwoody – Dunwoody GA
Fayetteville – Fayetteville GA
Conyers – Lithonia GA
Newnan – Newnan GA
Kahului – Express Kahului HI
Des Moines – Clive IA
S. Des Moines – Des Moines IA
Burbank – Burbank IL
Bricktown – Chicago IL
Highland Park – Highland Park IL
Matteson – Matteson IL
Naperville – Naperville IL
Niles – Niles IL
Schaumburg – Schaumburg IL
Vernon Hills – Vernon Hills IL
Indianapolis – Indianapolis IN
Greenwood – Indianapolis IN
Michigan City – Express Michigan City IN
Overland Park – Overland Park KS
Wichita – Wichita KS
Lexington – Lexington KY
Simpsonville – Outlet Simpsonville KY
St. Mathews – St. Mathews KY
Slidell – Slidell LA
Bellingham – Bellingham MA
Dedham – Dedham MA
Framingham – Framingham MA
Holyoke – Holyoke MA
Millbury – Millbury MA
Northborough – Northborough MA
Clinton – Clinton MD
Bangor – Bangor ME
Portland – S. Portland ME
Ann Arbor – Ann Arbor MI
Grand Rapids – Grand Rapids MI
Lansing – Lansing MI
Muskegon – Muskegon Hgts. MI
Traverse City – Traverse City MI
Ann Arbor – Ypsilanti MI
Blaine – Blaine MN
Minnetonka – Minnetonka MN
Richfield – Richfield MN
Woodbury – Woodbury MN
Cape Girardeau – Cape Girardeau MO
Chesterfield – Chesterfield MO
Columbia – Columbia MO
Bridgeton – Hazelwood MO
Meridian – Meridian MS
Pearl – Outlet Pearl MS
Asheville – Asheville NC
Durham – Durham NC
Durham – Durham NC
Omaha – Omaha NE
Nashua – Nashua NH
Bridgewater – BRU Bridgewater NJ
Burlington – Burlington NJ
Cherry Hill – Cherry Hill NJ
East Hanover – East Hanover NJ
Eatontown – Eatontown NJ
Elizabeth-KidsWorld – Elizabeth NJ
Mt. Olive – Flanders NJ
North Brunswick – North Brunswick NJ
Paramus – Paramus NJ
Phillipsburg – Philipsburg NJ
Union – Union NJ
Wayne – Wayne NJ
Albuquerque – Albuquerque NM
NW Las Vegas – Las Vegas NV
Spring Valley – Las Vegas NV
Amherst – Amherst NY
Sayville – Bohemia NY
College Point – College Point NY
COMMACK – Commack NY
Greece – Greece NY
Kingston – Kingston NY
Latham – Latham NY
Massapequa – Massapequa NY
Union Square – New York NY
Middle Village – Queens NY
Glens Falls – Queensbury NY
Henrietta – Rochester NY
Westbury – Westbury NY
Yonkers – Yonkers NY
Western Hills – Cincinnati OH
Dublin – Columbus OH
Dayton – Dayton OH
Mentor – Mentor OH
Norman – Norman OK
Oklahoma City – Oklahoma City OK
Dover – Dover PA
Erie – Erie PA
Exton – Exton PA
Horsham – Horsham PA
Beaver Valley – Monaca PA
Monroeville – Monroeville PA
Williamsport – Pennsdale PA
Ross Park Mall – Pittsburgh PA
Washington – Washington PA
Carolina – Carolina PR
Hatillo – Hatillo PR
Warwick – Warwick RI
Columbia – Columbia SC
N. Charleston – N. Charleston SC
Rapid City – Rapid City SD
Memphis – Memphis TN
Nashville – Nashville TN
Allen – Allen TX
Dallas Galleria – Dallas TX
West El Paso – El Paso TX
Hulen – Fort Worth TX
Katy – Houston TX
Hurst – Hurst TX
Irving – Irving TX
Lewisville – Lewisville TX
Robstown – Express Robstown TX
Midvale – Midvale UT
Ogden – Ogden UT
Newport News – Newport News VA
Potomac Mills – Woodbridge VA
Everett – Everett WA
Silverdale – Silverdale WA
Spokane – Spokane WA
Brookfield – Brookfield WI
Madison – Madison WI
