Popular Mall Retailer ‘Pulling the Plug’ Closing Permanently

(KMDL-FM) All of those great "mall memories" that so many of us of a certain age cultivated while we were in our formative years might be closer to gone forever than we first thought. We are now getting confirmation that a major mall retailer is scuttling plans to shutter just a few stores and simply closing up shop, permanently closing all its locations.

READ MORE: Best Stores No Longer in Acadiana Mall

I think it's no secret that the retail landscape across America, Louisiana, and the Gulf South has changed. More and more shopping malls are looking more like empty shells of what they once were than our viable first choice for selection and savings.

This move away from brick-and-mortar locations isn't a surprise at all. We, the people, are lazy, er, we don't like to be inconvenienced, yeah, that's it. We like to tell our friends we're just busy, but we've got other things to do, and spending hours at a shopping mall doesn't appear to be on our list anymore.

Why Are So Many Mall Retailers Closing Their Doors?

Even though some of us are ardent supporters of shopping locally and supporting locally owned businesses, we sometimes fall prey to our own humanity. It is just so much easier to have the mailman or some other delivery person drop the item at our front door than it is to "put on clothes" and head to a store. Granted, some stores, such as Walmart, are really lax in their customer dress requirements.

Unfortunately for the smaller retailers in the nation, translation, not Walmart, Target, Costco, you get the idea, this move away from inside sales to outside delivery has forced some drastic changes in their business models. And in many cases, we are seeing that the change in direction is enough to derail the business.

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Liquidation Sales Are Underway as Popular Retailer Plans to Close

Just last week, we told you about the plans of Francesca's, a trendy boutique that was founded in Texas. The plan that was announced suggested a strategic closing of locations to help the company better survive the current economic climate. Well, things have changed from last week to this week.

Francesca's has announced they now plan to close all locations nationwide. However, the official shutdown date was not noted in the company's announcement. We can tell you that of the locations that are open, they are offering liquidation sale prices.

READ MORE: Popular Women's Apparel Chain to Shutter Select Stores

According to details on the Francesca's website, they're offering discounts sitewide, and they have a selection of clearance deals marked at $15. The chain operates about 400 stores in 45 states. In Louisiana, there are three locations that will be affected by this recent announcement. As we mentioned, there has been no official word from Francesca's on when the company will be closing its locations.