More than 90 million square feet of retail space has been shuttered this year, and with the retailer Bon-Ton announcing this week it would close 200 of its stores, 2018 is on track to break last year's record for lost stores.
"This is just another example of one of those big box retailers who weren't nimble enough and really listening to the changing times," said Melissa Gonzalez, founder and CEO of Lionesque Group.
In the first four months of 2018, retail giants like Toys "R" Us, Sears, and Sam's Club have closed all or some of their locations. Moody's distressed-level watch list predicted that others, such as Guitar Center, J. Crew, and David's Bridal could be next.
There have already been more store closures in 2018 than there were in all of 2016. And as each brick-and-mortar shop shutters, it creates potential customers for online retailers like Amazon.
"They have data at their fingertips, they're really at the pulse of understanding what consumers want," said Gonzalez in an interview Friday on Cheddar. "They can serve up the items that you know we want, and present things online before we even know we want them, and they can target us in ways department stores aren't able to do."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/2018-the-year-of-retail-closures).
Honda is recalling more than 330,000 vehicles because heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, which could lead to the mirror glass falling out and increase the risk of a crash.
PepsiCo just unveiled a new nostalgic logo, and it might look familiar to long-time fans of the bubbly beverage. The new logo is a slightly modified version of the one last used in the 1990s.
U.S. highway safety regulators have opened yet another investigation into problems with Teslas, this time tied to complaints that the seat belts may not hold people in a crash.
Kia McCallister-Young, director of America Saves, joined Cheddar News to explain key differences to consider when making a choice between a credit union and a bank. "You want to do your research and know exactly how to gain membership to a credit union," she said, "but, again, banks often are able to be more accessible and be in neighborhoods."
Cheddar News breaks down what to look for on The Day Ahead. The House will hold a hearing on the federal response to the recent banking issues while Starbucks CEO will testify on Capitol Hill about union-busting claims. Disney Parks workers are set to vote on a new contract proposal.
