Kirkland’s is making permanent job cuts and is in discussions with landlords to defer or waive rent while its stores remain closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the supermarkets that anchor necessity-based shopping centers across the U.S. are open and setting sales records, tenants such as restaurants and fitness clubs are closed and constructing survival plans.
Retail was already challenged on many fronts prior to the pandemic. Now the industry is facing terrible realities that make the bankruptcies and store closures of the past few years seem tame by comparison.
