{"id":64781,"date":"2026-01-06T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/blog\/745-why-15000-stores-closed-in-2025-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:00:00","slug":"745-why-15000-stores-closed-in-2025-and-what-you-can-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/blog\/745-why-15000-stores-closed-in-2025-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#745: Why 15,000 Stores Closed in 2025 and What YOU Can Do About It"},"content":{"rendered":"<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-64781-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/theboutiquehub\/BH_TUESDAY_-_1-6-26.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/theboutiquehub\/BH_TUESDAY_-_1-6-26.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/theboutiquehub\/BH_TUESDAY_-_1-6-26.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>Welcome to the new year! On the first episode of 2026 Ashley Alderson is joined by Sara Burks for a big-picture retail conversation that every boutique owner needs right now!<\/p>\n<p>Retail is changing fast \u2014 and 2025 proved that &#8220;business as usual&#8221; isn&#8217;t enough anymore. With reports showing 15,000+ store closures, Ashley &#038; Sara unpack what really happened, what retailers got wrong, and how small businesses can build a stronger, more profitable plan for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>In this episode, Ashley and Sara walk through the six layers of retail (the proven Retail Bootcamp framework) and share what to double down on in each one \u2014 from customer clarity and CEO focus, to product profitability, team leadership, sales strategy, content planning, and modern marketing that actually works today.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6052\" data-end=\"6071\">You&#8217;ll learn:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"6072\" data-end=\"6324\">\n<li data-start=\"6072\" data-end=\"6115\">\n<p data-start=\"6074\" data-end=\"6115\">How consumer behavior is shifting: time, trust, and emotional connection<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6072\" data-end=\"6115\">\n<p data-start=\"6074\" data-end=\"6115\">How the six-layer Retail Bootcamp framework creates a strong, sustainable business from the inside out<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6172\" data-end=\"6220\">\n<p data-start=\"6174\" data-end=\"6220\">Why trying to be &#8220;something for everyone&#8221; is a losing strategy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>Why 2025 saw 15,000+ stores close (including major big-box brands)<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6267\" data-end=\"6324\">\n<p data-start=\"6269\" data-end=\"6324\">What successful retailers are doubling down on in 2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"684\" data-end=\"1000\"><a href= \"https:\/\/tbhub.co\/joinpodcast\">Join The Boutique Hub<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"684\" data-end=\"1000\"><a title=\"Retail Bootcamp\" href=\"https:\/\/go.theboutiquehub.com\/retail-bootcamp\">Retail Bootcamp<\/a><\/p>\n<p> ____________________________<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Alderson: <a href= \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ajalderson\/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank\">Instagram<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The Boutique Hub: <a href= \"http:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/\">Website<\/a> | <a href= \"http:\/\/facebook.com\/boutiquehub\">Facebook<\/a> | <a href= \"http:\/\/instagram.com\/theboutiquehub\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href= \"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/boutiquehubbusiness\">Pinterest<\/a> | <a href= \"http:\/\/tiktok.com\/@theboutiquehub?lang=en\">TikTok<\/a> | <a href= \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCvhd0II4sh8IEVK6cWx6IDQ\">YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the new year! On the first episode of 2026 Ashley Alderson is joined by Sara Burks for a big-picture retail conversation that every boutique owner needs right now! Retail is changing fast \u2014 and 2025 proved that &#8220;business as usual&#8221; isn&#8217;t enough anymore. With reports showing 15,000+ store closures, Ashley &#038; Sara unpack [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5102,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[408],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boutiquechat","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>#745: Why 15,000 Stores Closed in 2025 and What YOU Can Do About It | The Boutique Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/blog\/745-why-15000-stores-closed-in-2025-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#745: Why 15,000 Stores Closed in 2025 and What YOU Can Do About It\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Welcome to the new year! On the first episode of 2026 Ashley Alderson is joined by Sara Burks for a big-picture retail conversation that every boutique owner needs right now! Retail is changing fast \u2014 and 2025 proved that &#8220;business as usual&#8221; isn&#8217;t enough anymore. With reports showing 15,000+ store closures, Ashley &#038; Sara unpack [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theboutiquehub.com\/blog\/745-why-15000-stores-closed-in-2025-and-what-you-can-do-about-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Boutique Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/boutiquehub\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-06T17:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shannon Gordon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shannon Gordon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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