Retailers with the most store openings and closings in 2017

2017 brought repeated prophecies of the traditional retail apocalypse, with doomsayers pointing to the rise of ecommerce, shifting consumer spending habits, and the hangover from decades-long retail space overdevelopment.

Amazon and Walmart’s ecommerce efforts have emerged as modern-day villains, marked by their unparalleled scale and logistics networks that allow them to swiftly enter new markets like groceries or consumer electronics. However, with the online shopping segment only representing 8.5% of the total retail market, it’s not just ecommerce giants contributing to the decline of former powerhouses like Kmart, Sears, and RadioShack.

Some point to the long-awaited reckoning from a bloated retail buildup, as 1970-2015 saw the number of malls grow twice as fast as the country’s population and U.S. retail footprints soared in comparison to countries like Canada, the UK, and France. Others point to a younger generation with shifting consumer spending habits that value “experiences over things,” driving increased spend in the restaurant, entertainment, and travel space.

As we look back on 2017, certain retailers stand out for how they’ve adapted or struggled to keep up with changing consumer shopping trends. Using data from the National Retail Federation, we’ve ranked retail chains with 50 or more locations that had the most stores openings or expected closures as of August 2017. Lean chains like Dollar General have shown resiliency in a fluctuating retail market while classic strip mall staples such as Payless have faltered. Read on to discover which stores fared the best and worst this year.