National chains shutter locations across the U.S.

[bucolic_frolic]

https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/money/business/2025/05/01/national-chain-retailers-close-locations/83387715007/

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Not exactly a current article, June 2025, and several closures from recent years, but the rest are 2025 current and this is significant retail carnage. We're either consuming online or not buying as much.

[mwmisses4289]

1. Subway has never really recovered from

the fallout of their pedophile spokesperson (Jared was his name, i think); there are plenty of better places to get subs. And apparently hooters has been crashing and burning for years, as have many in that particular niche.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. This may be old news, but Subway also had a reputation for licensing too many franchises close to each other ...

.... so that their stores were literally competing with each other, and over-saturating local markets.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. That's what I learned as well

They were the fastest growing restaurant chain in the world for a period of time, and yes, they opened so many stores that you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Subway. Just about as bad as Starbucks in some locales

They have opened a franchise inside of many Loves, Pilot and Flying J truck stops as well.

[Old Crank]

5. Packing too many in to a location is strange

Franchisors want the franchises to succeed. They can sell more franchises when the existing ones do well. Usually they have a territory that others can't come into. Perhaps the franchisor got greedy for the fees they charge to own one.

[IbogaProject]

2. Interest rate hikes have made financing more expensive

Retail credit cards have higher rates now, and corporate financing is more expensive. And these firms need to meet the next few financial quarter's earnings targets.