Torrid to close up to 180 locations

Plus-sized clothing retailer Torrid has announced plans to close up to 180 locations within the next year.

During the company’s latest earnings announcement, CEO Lisa Harper cites increased demand from shoppers online, saying that 70% of its business comes from web sales.

“We’re accelerating our transformation to a more digitally-led business, which includes optimizing our retail footprint. We now plan to close up to 180 underperforming stores this year—allowing us to reduce fixed costs and reinvest in areas that drive long-term growth, including customer acquisition and omnichannel enhancements," Harper said.

So far, the company has already closed two locations in the first quarter, with the current number of locations at 632 stores, the company said.

The company has not provided a list of locations that will be closed, according to USA Today.

Torrid started in 2001 in Brea, California and carries clothing in women’s sizes from 10 to 30, People magazine reported.

It is not the first company catering to plus-sized women to close some, if not all, brick-and-mortar locations.

Lane Bryant, which is based in Ohio, closed 157 locations in 2020 while Avenue closed all physical stores in 2019, USA Today reported. Both companies, which had been part of bankruptcy proceedings, still operate online.