Major Retail Store Closures Announced for September 3, 2025

Dallas-based home furnishings chain At Home will permanently close 29 “underperforming” locations across the U.S. by September 30, 2025, as part of its Chapter 11 restructuring. Court filings cited escalating interest rates, persistent inflation, and rising customs costs due to tariffs as key factors in the decision.

Additionally, grocery giant Kroger plans to shut two unionized stores on September 19, 2025, in Kingsport, Tennessee, and Abingdon, Virginia, blaming fallout from its failed Albertsons merger and broader profitability challenges.

In a symbolic move unrelated to financial performance, U.K.-based cosmetics retailer Lush closed all 250-plus shops, its website, and factories for one day on September 3 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, halting business as usual and displaying “STOP STARVING GAZA - WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY” in storefront windows.

At Home to Close 29 Stores by Month’s End

• Under its Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan, At Home will reduce its national footprint by nearly 11% (from 260 to 231 stores).
• Affected locations span California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Kroger to Shutter Two Unionized Locations

• United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 notified that the Abingdon, VA, and Kingsport, TN, Kroger stores will close on September 19.
• Union leadership decried Kroger’s prioritization of shareholder returns over union workers and rural communities.

Lush’s One-Day Solidarity Shutdown

• On September 3, Lush halted operations across its entire U.K. network, sacrificing a day’s revenue to send a political message and urge government action on Gaza.
• The closure affected brick-and-mortar stores, online sales, and factory outputs for the day.