What began in 2016 as a handful of big but otherwise isolated bankruptcies in the teen and sporting goods retail space, accelerated in the first quarter of 2017 following a disappointing holiday. Store closures, acquisitions and shifts to online strategies followed, all of which threaten to change the face of the American mall. And analysts predict more stores will falter as they struggle under mountains of debt, fail to keep up with changing consumer buying habits and grapple with how to leverage retail space in an increasing e-commerce world.
Click through below to view a timeline of stores that have faltered, failed or found lifelines from 2016 to today.