Tampa Bay Times, April 14, 2017

By Justine Griffin

I’ve written the phrase “it’s been a tough year for retail” more times than I can remember.

Not to sound redundant, but yeah, it’s been a very tough year for retail. And it’s only April.

Retail jobs fell by 30,000 in March, more than any other industry sector, according to the most recent U.S. jobs report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Macy’s announced it would close more stores, including the one that recently shuttered at University Mall in Tampa. The Sears department store closed at Tyrone Square Mall after nearly 50 years of operating there to make room for a future Lucky’s Market and Dick’s Sporting Goods. And with debt piling up, the future of what was once a household brand name, Sears, is as uncertain as ever.

Nine retailers have filed for bankruptcy so far this year — as many as in all of 2016. Sports Authority, Payless Shoe Source, hhgregg, The Limited and Wet Seal, are among those we saw disappear in Tampa Bay. Even the analysts, who have mostly been upbeat about the evolution of retail at least in the six years I’ve been writing about it in Florida, seem grim about the future.

Read more here.