Wednesday, June 18, 2025
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Company NewsRetailTexas

AT&T to Close 250 AT&T Mobility and Cricket Wireless Stores, Says Telecomm Union

by John Nelson

DALLAS — The Communication Workers of America (CWA) has announced that Dallas-based AT&T has informed the telecommunications and IT union its plans to permanently shutter 250 AT&T Mobility and Cricket Wireless stores. The move would impact 1,300 retail jobs. There are currently more than 16,000 AT&T retail locations in the United States, including authorized retailers and company-owned stores and kiosks. CWA also reports that A&T plans to cut 3,400 technician and clerical jobs across the country over the next few weeks. The Dallas Morning News reports that AT&T had to inform CWA, which represents 100,000 AT&T workers, of the planned job cuts due to a collective bargaining agreement covering the workers. The newspaper also reports the job cuts and store closures are part of AT&T’s $6 billion cost-cutting plan. According to CWA, AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson pledged in 2017 to create 7,000 new jobs if President Donald Trump’s corporate tax cuts passed. Instead, a CWA review of AT&T’s quarterly reports shows that the company has cut over 41,000 jobs, not including the planned cuts announced June 16.

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24 Hour Fitness
CaliforniaCompany NewsRetailTop StoriesWestern

24 Hour Fitness Files for Chapter 11 Protection, Opts to Permanently Close 132 Stores

by John Nelson

SAN RAMON, CALIF. — Fitness center retail chain 24 Hour Fitness has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection stemming from revenue losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Ramon-based company expects to secure $250 million in debtor-in-possession financing, which is subject to court approval. The fitness chain has also announced its intention to permanently close 132 of its 300-plus gyms. In California alone, 24 Hour Fitness will shutter 41 locations, and in Texas another 26 will permanently close as the company will focus on reopening its other gyms across the country. “If it were not for COVID-19 and its devastating effects, we would not be filing for Chapter 11,” says Tony Ueber, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness. “With that said, we intend to use the process to strengthen the future of 24 Hour Fitness for our team and club members, as well as our stakeholders.” Although Ueber says the COVID-19 pandemic is the main culprit in the company’s struggles, the retailer’s debt load is also a contributing factor. Brad Umansky, president of Progressive Real Estate Partners, says that the retailer’s ownership group, including private equity firm AEA Investors, hampered 24 Hour Fitness from operating to the best of its ability …

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Company NewsDelawareNortheastRetail

Lululemon Reopens 60 Percent of Stores, Reports 17 Percent Drop in Revenue in Latest Quarter

by Taylor Williams

DOVER, DEL. — Lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU), a provider of athletic apparel that is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, but incorporated in Delaware, has now reopened 295 of its 489 stores, or roughly 60 percent of its worldwide locations. The company reported net revenue of $652 million in its fiscal first quarter, which ended May 3, compared with $785 million during the same period a year ago, a 17 percent decline. Lululemon closed all of its stores in mainland China following the outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequently shuttered its Europe and North America stores in March. The company noted that although it was forced to close all stores at some point, strong sales from its e-commerce platform helped to mitigate the decrease in revenue. Lululemon said in the filing that it would not provide financial projections for future quarters, but that it ended the first period with $823 million in cash, compared to $576 million in cash at the end of the first quarter of 2019. Lululemon’s stock price opened at $302.84 per share on Friday, June 12, up from $170.89 per share a year ago.

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Company NewsMultifamilyNew YorkNortheast

Extell Development Partners With Startup Avo to Offer Residential Delivery of Products in Manhattan

by Taylor Williams

NEW YORK CITY — Extell Development Co., a New York-based developer, has partnered with delivery service startup Avo to offer product delivery services as an amenity at One Manhattan Square, Extell’s 815-unit residential building in Lower Manhattan. Avo will provide residents with free, same-day delivery of a range of products including groceries, electronics, household goods and personal care items from its own online store. The service will require no minimum order size and will be facilitated through “Experience by Extell,” the developer’s in-house lifestyle management platform. Avo entered the New York market last year, primarily servicing office buildings, but has accelerated its residential partnerships during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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Starbucks-Pickup
Company NewsRetailWestern

Starbucks to Revamp Stores for More Drive-Thru, Pickup Orders After $3.2B Quarterly Loss in Revenues (UPDATED)

by Amy Works

SEATTLE — Starbucks Coffee plans to accelerate the transformation of its store portfolio across the United States amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next 18 months, the coffee chain will increase convenience-led formats in company-operated locations with drive-thru and curbside pickup options, as well as Starbucks Pickup location. UPDATE (June 11): In a letter to shareholders, released through an SEC filing, Starbucks announced that it plans to close approximately 400 company-operated U.S. stores over the next 18 months as part of this new focus on drive-thru and pickup. In that same letter, Starbucks notes that it plans to open 300 new stores this year, though that is down from its initial plan of 600. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 80 percent of Starbucks transactions were “on-the-go” sales, according to the letter. Due to the shift in the retail environment because of amid the global pandemic, including store closures and decreased customer sales, Starbucks posted a $3.2 billion loss in revenue during fiscal third quarter and expects same-store sales in the United States and Canada to decline 10 percent to 20 percent for the full fiscal year, according to CNBC. The company’s U.S. store portfolio transformation includes the expansion of …

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Company NewsMassachusettsNortheastRetailTop Stories

Dunkin’ Commits to Hiring 25,000 Workers Nationwide As Reopening of Economy Accelerates

by Alex Tostado

CANTON, MASS. — Fast-food breakfast chain Dunkin’ (NASDAQ: DNKN) has announced plans to hire 25,000 new employees nationwide as the company looks to lead the charge out of nationwide coronavirus quarantines. Taco Bell recently made a similar declaration, vowing in late May to hire 30,000 workers this summer. With 55,000 planned hires between just two companies, quick-service restaurants could be an early sign of economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reliance on drive-thru and pickup orders makes fast food a natural type of restaurant to rebound first. Last Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate was 13.3 percent, down from 14.7 percent in April. Economists expected an increase in unemployment in May, but instead 2.5 million jobs were added during the month. Dunkin’ has more than 9,500 locations in the U.S. and a total of 13,100 locations in 41 countries. Canton-based Dunkin’ launched its first-ever national restaurant employee recruitment advertising campaign through a series of “Dunkin’ Runs on You” national TV broadcast and digital spots that will be aired in English and Spanish beginning today. Available jobs range from front-counter employees to managers. A timeline for the hirings was not disclosed. Taco Bell’s newly created …

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JC-Penney-Valdosta
Company NewsRetailTexas

J.C. Penney Provides Update on Closings, to Shutter 154 Stores

by Taylor Williams

PLANO, TEXAS — J.C. Penney released an update on its store optimization strategy on Thursday, announcing plans to close 154 stores around the country as part of Phase I of the plan. The closings of those stores are scheduled to begin on Friday, June 12. The Plano-based retailer expects to announce additional closings after Phase I, which will feature store-closing sales at the shuttered locations that are expected to take 10 to 16 weeks to complete. A list of which stores are closing as part of Phase I can be found here.

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Company NewsFloridaRetailSoutheast

Regency Centers Collects 58 Percent of May Rent Checks, Down from 68 Percent in April

by Alex Tostado

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Regency Centers Corp. reported that it collected 58 percent of base rent from its tenants in May. The Jacksonville-based company released the data during its June 2020 presentation, which also reported that Regency collected 68 percent of base rent in April. The presentation broke its tenants down by category. Of the essential retailers, which includes grocers, drugstores, mass merchandisers, banks, pet stores, office supplies and medical tenants, 92 percent were able to pay May rent. Essential, quick-service restaurants paid rent at a 48 percent clip, while 31 percent of essential, full-service restaurants paid May rent. Additionally, other tenants in Regency’s portfolio, including soft goods, personal service providers and fitness centers, paid at a 28 percent rate. In April, every rent rate by category was higher than May. Regency said that as of May 31, approximately 75 percent of its tenants were open for business across the 408-property portfolio.

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ColoradoCompany NewsWestern

Baceline Investments Offers Resources, Individual Guidance for Small Business Tenants

by Amy Works

DENVER — As retailers continue to face uncertain times during the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver-based Baceline Investments has shifted its focus to providing support and creating tools, resources and personal guidance for the small businesses of its 73 neighborhood shopping centers under management nationwide. The boutique private equity real estate investment and management company’s national portfolio currently includes 900 small business tenants. “We’ve taken an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting our small business partners,” says Todd Laurie, partner and executive vice president of fund services for Baceline. “We’ve mobilized our company into task-force teams and support teams, and we immediately reached out to every small business tenant to offer guidance and assistance with securing government assistance loans.” Through guides and an online resource center, the company is providing tools and resources that include information on state-by-state, stay-at-home orders, financial relief and loan resources, social distancing and sanitation measures, marketing templates and initiatives to support businesses as they reopen. Additionally, Baceline is offering information regarding protection against coronavirus phishing attempts, tenant stipends to assist in purchasing barrier and PPE supplies, including sources for exclusively discounted sneeze and cough shields, as well as five industry-specific reopening handbooks for fitness centers, salons and spas, retail, …

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Target-Lake-Street-Minneapolis
Company NewsRetailTop Stories

Target, Other Retailers Temporarily Close Stores Across Nation in Response to Violent Protests

by Taylor Williams

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota-based discount retailer Target has temporarily closed six stores in four states in response to protests that turned violent over the weekend. The looting and destruction of commercial property took place in the days following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died May 25 following an encounter with Minneapolis police during which an officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. On Sunday, several other retailers, including CVS, Apple and Walmart also announced temporary closures or adjusted hours in major cities where rioting had taken place. None of these retailers specified which stores would be closed and for how long, only saying that the measures had been taken to protect customers and employees. Other cities imposed weekend curfews, and the City of Philadelphia ordered all retailers to close entirely on Sunday. The National Retail Federation (NRF), a trade association representing the industry, issued a statement on Monday imploring Americans to cease defacing and plundering retail properties in the name of general welfare. “Of primary concern to our retailers is the safety of their teams, the communities they serve and the emotional and physical well-being of their African American colleagues and customers,” said Matthew Shay, …

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