I hear from many people that it is not true that performance was the key reason when they decided which stores to close. What was the key reason then?
I was also surprised that the store where I worked until recently wasn't closed, while some that seemed to be in much better condition were. I'm not at BBBY anymore, but I'm very interested in this.
Interim CEO played Spin the bottle of Jack at last Board Meeting
I've dealt with closings with another company and it really just comes down to SG&A, or operating costs. Some landlords will cut you a huge rent break if they don't have any future tenants lined up. But if a store is in an area that has to pay a ton of rent, the lease was up, and the landlord wasn't willing to negotiate, it is more cost effective to close the store. I realize it seems silly that a well-run store that looks great would close and a s-ho-e store stays open but it all comes down to what it costs to keep it open. Also, if the lease wasn't set to expire yet, it may cost even more to break lease than to keep it open. So in short, other stores will surely close once the lease is up.
Many stores were sued for non payment of rent during COVID. Unsure if those were all tamped down but BBBY will tell you they were FINE. Just a guess that there may be bad blood with landlords.I would guess the decisions are mostly over cost of leases and leases running out. There are some big stores in that list and many more big stores to come. I blabbed about Schaumberg in the original question. I do not grok why Downers Grove survives but can assure you it isn't because of the staff or mgmt. Orland Park was a shock dumping earlier.