Plus-size fashion store chain Torrid surprised the fashion market with its announcement of shutting down as many as 180 stores in the United States this 2025, approximately 30% of its brick-and-mortar stores. The huge slash is a drastic increase from the company’s initial plan to close as low as 40-50 stores earlier this year. As of the recent announcement, Torrid has not said the locations in which stores will be closed.
The surprise behind the closures
The shocking size of store closures was announced on Torrid’s first quarter 2025 earnings call on June 5, 2025. CEO Lisa Harper said that the company would close as many as 180 underperforming stores in its strategic shift towards a more digitally-driven company. That is a huge boost from 26 stores closed in 2024 and well above the company’s March 2025 expectation of 40-50 closings.
The move follows Torrid having 632 stores across the country after already shutting down two in the first quarter of 2025. About 60% of the company’s current store fleet is up for renewal of lease this year, offering a good opportunity for the business to achieve its maximum retail space.
Financial performance behind the move
Torrid’s store closure news was paired with disappointing first quarter 2025 financial results that reflect pain of the brick-and-mortar retail experience. Net sales fell 4.9% to $266 million from $279.8 million for the same period last year, and comparable sales fell 3.5%. Gross profit margin narrowed sharply to 38.1% from 41.3% last year primarily as a result of sales downturns and strategic promotional activity.
Net income dropped by over half to $5.9 million from $12.2 million the prior year, exemplifying the financial stress that necessitated the strategic reorganization. Despite pressures of this nature, the firm achieved Adjusted EBITDA of $27.1 million, or 10.2% on net sales.
Digital transformation strategy
The closing of record stores is an indication of Torrid’s shift into digital retailing, which management believes best represents its future growth prospects. CEO Harper reemphasized that “digital remains our customer’s channel of choice, now at nearly 70% of total demand.” The firm expects e-commerce to represent the “low-to-mid 70% range” of overall sales in the forthcoming year, while physical stores would in essence only capture 25% of total sales.
This digital shift enables Torrid to “strip out fixed costs and reinvest in long-term growth drivers, such as customer acquisition and omnichannel investments.” The store closures should generate 150 to 250 basis points of EBITDA margin improvement after adjusting for customer acquisition and retention investment.
Impact on customers and communities
The closing of stores created a general sense of panic in the plus-size apparel arena, where few physical shopping sites even exist to start with. Plus-size fashion blogger Christine Murphy decried the news, adding that Torrid is among a very small number of remaining physical stores featuring larger sizes. She further added that eliminating physical stores compels plus-size shoppers to plan ahead in their clothing buys, making it harder to find spur-of-the-moment party or emergency attire.
Content creator Nikki Apostolou was similarly emotional in a viral TikTok video, referencing the value that plus-size women who represent a massive percentage of the market have for physical stores. The closing of the stores comes on the heels of the same trend by other plus-size retailers as Lane Bryant closed 157 locations during 2020 and Avenue closed all stores during 2019.
Timeline and specific locations
Through June of 2025, Torrid did not fully disclose the exact locations of the stores being shuttered. Most of the closures, the company indicated, will be in the fourth quarter of 2025, and benefits will be seen in the first half of 2026. To see whether your stores are currently open or closed, customers can visit torrid.com/stores for the most current location data.
The company will update 135 of its remaining stores in the third quarter under what Harper described as “low-capital investments with an estimated quick payback.” Even after wholesale reduction, Harper insisted that remaining stores will remain “community anchors and immersive brand-building experiences.”
This redefinition of strategy places Torrid among many retailers adjusting to evolving consumer tastes and stretching to their limits for profitability in more digital retailing.
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