Iconic Businesses Closed Because of Coronavirus

Apple told employees that all brick-and-mortar locations in the U.S. will remain closed at least through the end of April. Apple may potentially begin to open stores by the beginning of May at the earliest. Apple extended the closures past the initial deadline of mid-April as the coronavirus continued to spread across the U.S. The closures affect dozens of stores across 44 states and the District of Columbia. The company reopened its retail location in Seoul, South Korea, in mid-April, after reopening all 42 of its locations in mainland China.

Luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman closed its Manhattan flagship on March 17. While other retailers and department stores around the city have announced tentative reopening dates, Bergdorf Goodman has yet to speculate on when it will reopen its doors. Its parent company, Neiman Marcus Group, is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy by the end of April, according to The New York Times. The company has struggled with debts of nearly $5 billion even before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S.

All 56 Bloomingdale’s locations are temporarily closed as the department store chain joins the fight to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The closures include the iconic flagship location on 59th Street in Manhattan. Though March 31 was originally the target date for reopening when the closures were announced, all Bloomingdale’s locations have remained closed. Like several other brick-and-mortar department stores that have temporarily closed, Bloomingdale’s says it will provide compensation and benefits for workers who are impacted by the closures.

Until March 12, 2020, Disneyland had only closed unexpectedly three times in its 65-year history: once to mourn the assassination of John F. Kennedy; once more due to a 1994 earthquake; and again on Sept. 11, 2001. Disney said in a statement on April 16 that it would allow guests to make reservations for June 1 and later, but it remains unclear if the park would be open by then. All other parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida are closed indefinitely as well.

In the face of mounting pressure from the United Auto Workers union, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shut down production plants in several states on March 18. Initially, the plants were scheduled to reopen in April, but as the coronavirus pandemic has yet to peak in much of the country, the car company has delayed plans to restart production. As of April 8, production was officially projected to begin again in early May. At least 11 FCA workers have died from the coronavirus as of early April.

All brick-and-mortar L.L. Bean locations have been shuttered since the close of business on March 16. The closures affect dozens of stores across 19 states, including the brand’s iconic flagship location in Freeport, Maine. The clothing and outdoor recreation equipment company said it intends to keep these locations closed “until further notice,” with no target date to reopen them.

Le Bernardin, the upscale New York City French seafood restaurant that has been a gastronomical attraction since it opened in New York in 1986, announced it was closing on March 13. Chef and co-owner Eric Ripert told CNBC on March 23 that he laid off the entire restaurant staff. A GoFundMe campaign for the staff of the restaurant was closed after it raised over $226,000.

MGM Resorts International announced on March 15 that because of concerns over COVID-19 it was suspending operations indefinitely at its Las Vegas properties effective March 17. The resorts affected include Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and MGM Grand. The company said it canceled reservations through April 30, the last date of Nevada’s stay-at-home order. MGM’s properties are accepting reservations beginning May 1.

Macy’s has shuttered all of its 551 locations nationwide, including its flagship store in Manhattan’s Herald Square. The stores have not reopened since the close of business on March 17, and it remains unclear when Macy’s will reopen its doors to shoppers. Macy’s was already in financial trouble prior to the pandemic, announcing plans to shutter 125 stores in February.

The Mall of America has not reopened since the close of business on March 17. Initially scheduled to reopen on March 31, the mall is now closed indefinitely as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States. The Mall of America and its 330 stores draw in an estimated 40 million shoppers annually. It is unclear when the mall might reopen, but Minnesota’s stay-at-home order is set to expire May 4. While stores are shuttered, the Mall of America is hosting blood drives because its north atrium is large enough to fit staff and donors while allowing them to meet social distancing guidelines.

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom opened its New York City luxury department flagship store in October of 2019 with much fanfare. Barely six months later, on March 17, the 119-year-old company announced it was closing all of its stores, including the new flagship on Broadway and 57th Street. According to the company’s site, Nordstrom will provide three weeks pay to laid-off employees and benefits through April.

Saks Fifth Avenue, one of New York City’s quintessential department stores with locations all over the nation, shuttered all of its stores, including its famous Manhattan flagship, on March 17. On its website, the retailer said it originally planned to close its stores for two weeks. However, the company has since said that “it is clear that it is still not the right time to re-open.” The closure of the Saks flagship store comes as the company was completing a $250 million renovation of the store.

Tiffany & Co. has closed all of its 94 brick-and-mortar stores in the United States. The high-end jewelry retailer made the announcement on March 17, and the closures are still in effect with no word on when they might end. All Tiffany locations, including the brand’s flagship location on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, remain closed.

Universal Studios announced on March 12 the closure of Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California on March 14, and of Universal Orlando Resort in Florida the next day. Though the locations were initially scheduled to remain closed until the end of the month, those plans changed on March 24, and the closures were extended until at least through May 31.

The company that makes the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bats is closing its doors for the foreseeable future. Hillerich & Bradsby Co. closed its plant and museum, furloughing almost all of its nearly 200 workers. The company usually makes millions of bats a year, with tens of thousands going to Major League Baseball. With the season paused and no timetable to return, there is no demand for bats.

While staying at home, Americans are having to pass the time without the national pastime. On March 12, Major League Baseball cancelled spring training and postponed Opening Day, which was slated to be on March 26. Initially, the season was delayed by at least two weeks, but ESPN reported that the MLB season likely will not begin before June. There have been reports that the MLB is weighing the possibility of playing the season in Arizona’s spring training facilities, with players and team personnel isolating in nearby hotels. Fans would not be allowed to attend these games.

Abercrombie & Fitch has temporarily closed all of its clothing stores outside of the Asia-Pacific region, a total of over 800 locations. Due to the high number of online orders and added safety measures taken due to the pandemic, the company said online orders would likely be delayed. This could be hugely damaging to the company, which had already faced a shaky financial future going into 2020.

All company-owned and operated Nike stores are temporarily closed. The company has yet to provide an anticipated reopening date for its stores; however, online orders are available. The sporting goods giant announced in April it would repurpose the materials used for some of its footwear and apparel to make PPE for health care workers fighting against COVID-19.

Radio City Music Hall is one of America’s best known theaters and venues, hosting the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular since 1933. It, like all other iconic New York venues, has been forced to close after the state issued an executive order banning large gatherings. Events scheduled for March, April, and beyond have been either postponed until the summer or later, or cancelled.

Dick’s Sporting Goods closed its stores on March 18 with the hopes of reopening them on April 2, yet stores have remained closed. The retailer is offering contactless curbside pickup where permitted. A “significant number” of the company’s 40,000 employees were furloughed April 12.

AMC Theaters is the largest cinema chain in America with 661 theaters in the country and hundreds more worldwide. On March 17, AMC announced it would close theaters for between six and 12 weeks. The company, which could reportedly run out of cash by June, informed its landlords that it will stop paying rent as of April.

Furniture giant IKEA began to shut down its stores on March 16. After more than a month, the furniture retailer announced it would furlough all hourly workers effective April 19, though workers will still receive medical benefits through the end of May. Though it does not have an anticipated reopening date, IKEA said it will start to bring back furloughed workers “as soon as it is safe” to do so.

24-Hour Fitness, one of the nation’s largest chain of gyms, is temporarily closed. The chain has no timeline for when its over 400 gyms may reopen, but the company anticipate the locations will be “closed for an extended period.” Membership billing was suspended as of April 16. 24-Hour Fitness is still offering free home workout options through its app.

After Carnival’s Diamond Princess ship became one of the first large COVID-19 outbreak clusters outside of China, the cruise company has struggled. The CDC first issued a No Sail order on March 14; then on April 9 it extended the order by 100 days, which would seem to ban cruises until July. Yet Carnival announced it would only cancel all North American itineraries through June 26.

Iconic New York steakhouse Peter Luger closed both of its New York locations and laid off 61 workers in late March. While many other restaurants that have stopped offering dine-in service are offering food to-go, Peter Luger said it is not offering a takeout menu. The legendary restaurant has been in business since the late 1800s.