Store Closure Watch

Illinois store closures — October 2026

Store Closure Watch has tracked 626 verified events in Illinois (293 in 2026, 75 earlier, 254 undated), including 126 with a WARN notice. Of those 626, 3 are conversions (the store changes to another brand at the same site) and 1 is a relocation (the business moved, and the listed address is the one vacated). Source: Four Lights Analytics.

Data updated: October 24, 2026

626
tracked events (all years)
126
records with a WARN notice
6
new this week
10+
cities affected
top cities shown below

By event type

  • Closure521
  • Bankruptcy68
  • Layoff24
  • Restructuring8
  • Conversion3
  • Other1
  • Relocation1

Top sectors

  • Retail246
  • Restaurant & Food Service118
  • Industrial / Manufacturing71
  • Office & Services65
  • Logistics / Warehouse47

This page shows a public summary of 626 Illinois events, including 3 conversions and 1 relocation. Each Monday's file adds that week's new records in full — street addresses, WARN filings, court links, closing dates, and liquidation detail where available. It's what's new each week, not the whole history behind this page; for a specific market or date range, that's a custom data pull.

Chains closing in Illinois

Top Illinois cities

  • Chicago134
  • Springfield22
  • Rockford17
  • Naperville14
  • Bolingbrook11
  • Evanston9
  • Joliet9
  • Schaumburg8
  • McHenry8
  • Decatur8

Illinois briefs

Closer looks at what closed in Illinois and what the records show.

October 26, 2026
50 food and beverage plants have closed or set a closing date in 2026. Moving the work to other plants is the most common reason given.

50 food and drink plants in 25 states have closed or set a 2026 closing date. Of the 34 whose source gives a reason, 14 are moving the work to other plants, the most common reason.

October 19, 2026
Chains removed 275 stores from their own store locators in five weeks. KFC removed 41 in one week, the most we have recorded

Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 24, our weekly checks found 275 stores that 44 chains removed from their own online store locators, across 42 states.

October 12, 2026
13 enclosed malls closed or set a closing in 2026, and more are in receivership

At least 13 enclosed malls in 11 states closed their interiors in 2026 or, during 2026, set a date to close. Five more malls went into receivership, foreclosure or liquidation.

September 20, 2026
26 restaurant franchisee bankruptcy filings in 2026

The brands are not filing; their operators are. Twenty-six franchisee bankruptcy filings by 21 operators this year across Popeyes, Applebee's, Subway, Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Wendy's, Denny's, Village Inn and more, every one anchored to a court docket.

September 20, 2026
The building-products side is contracting: 12 distributors, mills and plants closing in 2026

Twelve US building-products distributors, sawmills, cabinet plants, tile and window manufacturers closed or filed this year across 15 states, while Lowe's and Home Depot cut at head office instead of closing stores.

October 19, 2026
7-Eleven said 645 stores in fiscal 2026. We can name 53, and by our math on the published breakdowns, a third to half of the 645 are conversions, not closures

7-Eleven's parent announced in April that 645 North American stores would close in fiscal 2026, which runs from March 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.

October 12, 2026
At least 117 brewery and taproom locations closed or are closing in 2026

At least 117 brewery and taproom locations in 33 states closed, announced a closing or filed for bankruptcy in 2026. Many are a single taproom of a brewer that is still in business.

September 28, 2026
Starbucks is closing about 250 cafes in North America. We can name 190 of them in the U.S.

We can now name 190 of the U.S. cafes, across 31 states and Washington, D.C., up from 147 when this page was first published. Many closed the weekend of September 26.

September 28, 2026
82 trucking companies filed for bankruptcy in 2026

We count 82 trucking companies that filed in 2026, from one-truck operators to regional fleets with more than a hundred trucks.

September 28, 2026
31 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms have closed, are closing or filed for bankruptcy in 2026

The cutbacks reach from the largest winemaker in the country to single tasting rooms. We count 31 wine producers so far this year, 16 of them in California.

September 21, 2026
Essendant is shutting down: eight sites and 1,278 jobs, nearly all on October 3

Staples' wholesale arm is closing eight sites on or about October 3, its Illinois headquarters included, covering 1,278 jobs. Every figure sits on a state WARN notice.

September 14, 2026
O'Charley's closures: 33 confirmed by local reporting, out of a reported 44 to 49

O'Charley's shut its company-owned restaurants on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Reports put the total at 44 to 49; these are the 33 a local outlet named, by state and address.

September 14, 2026
Republic National Distributing's wind-down: the WARN notices, state by state

RNDC has filed 30 WARN notices in 19 states and D.C. this year, 22 at a named site and 8 statewide, 6,329 positions on the notices we hold, counted once per notice; not additive, conditional ahead of asset sales.

September 14, 2026
The Dump is winding down all six stores outside Virginia

Haynes Furniture's outlet brand said on September 10, 2026 it will close Tempe, Atlanta, Lombard, Deerfield, Houston and Irving; the Virginia stores stay. Addresses and status for each.

September 6, 2026
CJ Logistics America is closing three warehouses in Illinois and Pennsylvania

Three plant-closing notices cover 202 jobs at University Park, Illinois and two Pennsylvania sites. All three close between September and November.

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Illinois closures — FAQ

How many stores are closing in Illinois?
Four Lights Analytics has tracked 626 verified closure events in Illinois, including 126 with a WARN notice. Source: Store Closure Watch, updated 2026-10-24.
Which cities in Illinois have the most closures?
The Illinois cities with the most tracked closures are Chicago, Springfield, and Rockford. Source: Four Lights Analytics Store Closure Watch.
Which chains are closing stores in Illinois?
Chains with the most tracked Illinois closures include Walgreens, GameStop, and Value City Furniture. Address-level data for every location is available to subscribers at storeclosurewatch.com.
Which retail stores are closing in Illinois?
Retail is the most-affected sector in Illinois, with 246 tracked closure events, followed by Restaurant & Food Service (118) and Industrial / Manufacturing (71). Source: Store Closure Watch, updated 2026-10-24.
How do I track competitor closures in Illinois?
Store Closure Watch tracks every verified Illinois closure weekly — 6 were added in the most recent week. This page shows the chain and sector mix; the subscriber file adds street address, city, event date, sector, and WARN status for each event, so operators can filter to their own trade areas. Delivered every Monday as CSV and Excel. Source: Four Lights Analytics.

Track Illinois closures as they happen

626 Illinois events tracked so far. Each Monday's file adds that week's new records — street addresses, source links, and confidence flags. $99/month.