GREAT FALLS — Pier 1 Imports in the Great Falls Marketplace will soon be closing permanently.
The national home goods retailer said in an earnings report on January 6, 2020, that in order to "better align its business with the current operating environment, Pier 1 intends to reduce its store footprint by up to 450 locations."
Pier 1 also says it will shut down distribution centers and lay off some workers at its corporate office in Texas. That concern is also on the minds of staff at the Great Falls store, who said they were hoping the closures wouldn't affect them.
The Marketplace location has two full time and four part-time employees who will be out of a job.
An official closing date has not been set, but a Great Falls manager says they'll continue operations through March or April.
Signs are now up in the Great Falls store announcing the closure.
Bloomberg reports that Pier 1 had 942 outlets in the U.S. and Canada as of November 30, with 4,000 employees as of March 2019.
Gift cards will still be accepted. Pier 1 stores in Missoula and Kalispell locations are also set to close.
Some more upcoming and recent business notes to pass along:
- Big Mouth BBQ will consolidate its two previous locations under one roof at the Hi-Ho Tavern; click here for details .
- True Brew announced on Wednesday that it plans open a second store in Great Falls; click here to read more .
- The Pier 1 store in the Great Falls Marketplace will soon close permanently; click here for details .
- A Five On Black restaurant is just weeks away from opening in Great Falls. The Missoula-based chain plans to open in mid-February at West Bank Landing . It is described as a "fast casual Brazilian restaurant." The Great Falls location will be the fifth in the state
- Chase Your Dreams, a virtual reality arcade, plans to open on February 1st at 316 Central Avenue. It's the brainchild of North Middle School student Chase Morgan.
- A second North 40 store opened last week in Great Falls. It's in the space formerly occupied by Kmart and Big Bear.
(DECEMBER 12, 2019) The home décor store Pier 1 Imports in Missoula will likely close with dozens of other national locations, an employee knowledgeable with the company said Thursday. The corporate office has not given a time frame. The company plans to close 140 locations across the nation and as many as 15% of its stores, the International Business Times reported in September. Pier 1 reported a loss of $100 million in the second quarter of the 2019 Fiscal Year.
The Missoula employee, who asked not to be identified, said the Fort Worth, Texas, company sent a consultant “a few weeks ago and now everything in the store is on sale for eight weeks.” “We don’t know from one day to the next what will happen,” the employee said. “Everything is on sale. I’m going to be straight-up with you. That could change tomorrow.”
Pier 1 Imports in Missoula employs around 13 people. Mike Arney, manager of the Pier 1 location in Kalispell, said his store will close on Feb. 26, sending its 12 employees looking for other work. “This is a closing store, so it’s in liquidation right now,” said Arney. “They planned it back in September. We’ve known for awhile.”
Arney said he plans to stick around the Flathead even after the closure. He’s not concerned about his fellow employees finding jobs in the Kalispell region. He considers the employment outlook to be “pretty good.” “There are a lot of openings,” he said. “I have a really good team. I don’t think they’ll have trouble finding a job.”
There is no word yet on the fate of the Pier 1 location in Great Falls. A store employee told KRTV on Thursday that she does not know of any plans to close, but we have not yet been able to confirm with the Pier 1 corporate office.
Pier 1 also has stores in Billings, Bozeman and Great Falls. It’s unclear whether those locations will close as well. The company reportedly closed 70 locations this year, leaving 951 locations still open in September.
Pier 1 reported a 12.6% decline in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same quarter the year before. Net sales are down 14.3%, according to the International Business Times.
- Contact Business Reporter Renata Birkenbuel at 406-565-0013 and renatab@missoulacurrent.com.
