Plus-size retail chain Torrid is shuttering nearly a third of its stores as it grapples with sliding sales.
The City of Industry-based company closed 151 locations last year and an additional 11 stores since the start of 2026.
The closures targeted “structurally unproductive stores” with low sales , the company said on an earnings call last week. The company plans to shut up to another 30 locations during the first half of 2026, chief executive Lisa Harper said during the call.
Torrid was founded in California in 2001 and specializes in clothing for women who wear sizes 10 to 30. The total closures would be about 30% of the company’s physical locations, with just over 480 stores still open at the end 2025.
The closures are part of “intentional structural change” implemented by the company to regain its financial footing, said Chief Financial Officer Paula Dempsey.
The retailer has struggled with declining net sales, which fell 9%.in 2025, Harper said.
Established mall retailers and department stores have struggled in recent years, with major players like Forever 21 closing all of its locations last year.
Online-only retailers, like Temu and Shein, have cut into the retailers’ consumer base. Bargain retailers like Ross Dress for Less are also thriving, attracting a larger swaths of customers and reporting record sales.
Customer retention was strong in 2025 despite store closures, Harper said, and Torrid executives flagged early signs of success in shifting its customer base toward its digital platform.
Harper said she’s confident the company will experience a turnaround, adding that the first few months of 2026 “give us confidence that the foundation we’ve built is beginning to take hold,” she said.
I am confident we are on the right path and encouraged by early signs of progress we are seeing in the business,” Lisa Harper, the company’s chief executive, said in the year-end report.
The company has focused on optimizing its store network by reintroducing sub-products like footwear and intimate apparel.
Investors think the company is on the right path. Torrid shares have surged close to 40% since it announced its plans.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.