Store Closings Decline

First quarter store closing announcements declined 36 percent, according to a joint report from ICSC Research and PNC Real Estate Research. Nearly 2,000 retail locations, including general merchandise, apparel, furniture and grocery stores were set to shutter. Borders, Charming Shoppes and BCBG Max Azria Group’s Max Rave represents 37 percent of the closings. Last year’s first quarter closings totaled 2,806.