Bath and Body Works is Closing Down

Question

Over the past couple of days. I have been hearing from a few people that Bath and Body Works is closing stores because of financial issues. However, other people are telling me that they are not closing. I read this article on it but I don't believe it's 100% true because I never heard of the news site before. I would not be surprised if they are closing stores because many businesses are closing stores right now due to bankruptcy. What do you think?

Comments

According to Business Insider, there are plans to open 90 new stand-alone stores and 25 remodels. This plan also includes the closure of 50 locations, but they are all mall-based stores.

https://www.businessinsider.com/stores-closing-in-2023-list#bath-and-body-works-50-stores-8

Answer 1

According to multiple sources Bath and Body works is not shutting down, but are closing 50 stores in 2023. There is no information about which stores and where they would be closing. Bath and body works are mostly found in malls, and like many other stores are moving away from their mall locations. "The company prefaced by saying that it's "investing in our technology, distribution, and, logistics capabilities to support our long-term growth." However, the closure of these stores will be followed by the remodelling of 25 white barn candle companies and the opening of 90 new "off mall" stores. "When factoring closures, the company is actually growing its total square footage by 4 percent."

https://original.newsbreak.com/@bryan-dijkhuizen-1589797/2936646058093-bath-body-works-has-announced-to-close-50-stores-in-2023#

https://bestlifeonline.com/bath-body-works-closing-50-stores-2023-news/

Comments

This is a very well done fact check. Good job getting two different sources, and you explained your information very well.

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I enjoyed the sources, reasoning, and in-depth discussion you made in your fact check. Well done!

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I'm not sure what to think about your answer because you don't directly reference sources in your answer and just kind of list them down below and downplay them. Although I believe what you are saying solely because its vote as the best answer, it's needs improvement. I would just add more relevant sources and your answer is immediately better.

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This fact check is excellent. The only criticism I have is that, since Bath and Body Works doesn't appear to be closing, I would classify this as a false claim as opposed to a misleading claim.

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You just sort of list and minimize the sources you cite in your response, without actually citing any of them, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Even if your response was voted as the best, I still think there is room for growth. Simply add additional pertinent sources, and your response becomes better right away.

Answer 2

According to an article that I found on News Break, Bath and Body Works announced that they will be closing about 50 stores this year. Of course this doesn't mean that the brand and store as a whole will be shutting down, but the decrease of locations is definelty not a good sign for the future of the company. Saying that all Bath and Body Works are shutting down is misleading and not the correct information.

https://original.newsbreak.com/@bryan-dijkhuizen-1589797/2936646058093-bath-body-works-has-announced-to-close-50-stores-in-2023

Answer 3

Though it may seem as they are closing quite a few stores, the reason is not what you may expect. According to Bath and Body Works (B&BW) investors, B&BW IS expected to close 50 retail stores but these stores are mall based. There has been a trend of "legacy stores" leaving the mall as it just isn't popular anymore due to the increase of online shopping. Even though they are closing 50 stores, they are OPENING 90 NEW STAND ALONE retail stores and remodeling 25 of them. They stated this in their 4th quarter earnings commentary located at this link: https://investors.bbwinc.com/static-files/254c3222-b962-4574-b36a-fb74a70a55f1 and also on their corporate website: www.bbwinc.com. So I think this article is exaggerated and misleading because the company seems to be doing well from what I read.

Comments

It's good that in contrast to some fact checks that you included the fact that there were opening 90 new stores, which shows not only that the claim is misleading, but is in fact far from the actual truth.

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I like how you not only answered the question, but added more information about new stores opening as well.

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You used a great, statistical source to back up your answer to the claim. I think that it was smart to include the fact that they are opening up stores, when the claim is that they are closing some down. By doing this, you emphasized the fact that the original claim was exaggerated and misleading.

Answer 4

Prior to coronavirus and the pandemic, Bath and Body works was on a straight upward path. They experiences 40 quarters straight of increased sales growth over ten years. Post covid, the company has closed down 51 stores total. 50 in the US and 1 in Canada. But this is only 3% of the total stores. Hence, it's not accurate to say bath and body works is closing down. There are also plans to "re-open in the future," according to US workforce article by Shefali Jain. 

https://www.usworkforce.org/is-bath-and-body-works-closing-permanently/

Comments

I appreciate how you added why so many stores are closing.

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This has a source and answers the question. It also adds more background info, making it much easier to understand whats going on.

Answer 5

It seems that Bath and Body Works may be closing stores (around 50), but the business isn't closing down completely. In fact, they are moving from the typical shopping mall locations, and opening around 90 independent locations, as well as still being available online. Even when you factor in the closings this company is actually expanding its margins: "When factoring in the closures, the company is actually growing its total square footage by 4 percent." 

This is all according to this article: https://bestlifeonline.com/bath-body-works-closing-50-stores-2023-news/

Comments

I liked reading over this fact check. It is concise and pulls a great quote from the source.

Answer 6

This is misleading or exaggerated. According to this article, " The retailer is reorienting its footprint away from malls, with plans this year to close about 50 mall-based stores and open 90 off the mall. Last year, most of the 48 stores that the retailer permanently closed were in malls, while 95 new off-mall stores opened in North America, executives said during a conference call Thursday." So, in short, the claim is true that some closes are closing down. But, this is only to accommodate the shift in the location of stores as listed under the businesses plans. Hence, it seems like that they are shutting down stores inside the malls only and opening stores in new areas that are not specifically in malls.

Link to Article: https://www.retaildive.com/news/bath-body-works-slashing-costs-closing-mall-stores/643398/

Answer 7

Yes, Bath and Body Works will be closing 50 stores this year. " Of that, roughly 90 new off-mall locations will open and 25 stores will be remodeled to fit the White Barn store design.

However, that will come at the expense of about 50 mall-based closures in 2023." This quote means that BBW is closing in-mall stores to remodel the store or to open off-mall locations.

https://www.the-sun.com/money/7500320/bath-body-close-open-mall/

Answer 8

According to the article I found, Bath and Body Works has confirmed that they are going to be closing about 50 stores in 2023. The article states “ Bath & Body Works is moving away from its shopping mall roots…the company is closing roughly 50 mall stores this year.”

https://bestlifeonline.com/bath-body-works-closing-50-stores-2023-news/

Comments

This is a brief response I would encourage to add one more source and to incorporate the fact that Bath and Body Works is not entirely closing down but only shutting down some of their stores. This is another article that is reliable that also discusses the same information.
https://www.businessinsider.com/stores-closing-in-2023-list

Answer 9

The statement that Bath and Body Works is closing is false. There are some locations that are closing, but not all. In the article, it discusses how "the retailer has confirmed that it is closing 50 of its stores in 2023." Although this article is a blog post, other news sources, like business insider, have also mentioned how some locations will be closing this year. Bath and Body Works is not going away for good. If Bath and Body works closing for good, other popular news sources would be commenting about it too, since it is a very well-known company. 

https://bestlifeonline.com/bath-body-works-closing-50-stores-2023-news/ 

Comments

Why did you chose state this was false, rather than misleading as the fact check showed that they are closing some stores which they are, but not as a business?

Answer 10

While Bath and Body Works is closing a lot of stores, they are not officially closing as a business. According to an article by Retail Dive, "the retailer is reorienting its footprint away from malls, with plans this year to close about 50 mall-based stores and open 90 off the mall."

https://www.retaildive.com/news/bath-body-works-slashing-costs-closing-mall-stores/643398/

Comments

Wouldn't it be better to classify it as misleading as yes they are TECHNICALLY closing stores, but not closing as a buisness.