#745: Why 15,000 Stores Closed in 2025 and What YOU Can Do About It
Boutique Chat
Ashley Alderson
5 • 853 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to the new year! On the first episode of 2026 Ashley Alderson is joined by Sara Burks for a big-picture retail conversation that every boutique owner needs right now!
Retail is changing fast — and 2025 proved that "business as usual" isn't enough anymore. With reports showing 15,000+ store closures, Ashley & Sara unpack what really happened, what retailers got wrong, and how small businesses can build a stronger, more profitable plan for 2026.
In this episode, Ashley and Sara walk through the six layers of retail (the proven Retail Bootcamp framework) and share what to double down on in each one — from customer clarity and CEO focus, to product profitability, team leadership, sales strategy, content planning, and modern marketing that actually works today.
You'll learn:
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How consumer behavior is shifting: time, trust, and emotional connection
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How the six-layer Retail Bootcamp framework creates a strong, sustainable business from the inside out
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Why trying to be "something for everyone" is a losing strategy
- Why 2025 saw 15,000+ stores close (including major big-box brands)
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What successful retailers are doubling down on in 2026
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Business can be a lonely game, but it doesn't have to be. |
| 0:09.0 | Welcome to Boutique Chat, where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. |
| 0:16.0 | We'll hear from product-based businesses of all types, retailers, e-commerce, and wholesale brands, |
| 0:21.7 | along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. |
| 0:25.1 | I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the boutique hub, and I can't wait to chat. |
| 0:34.1 | Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. |
| 0:36.9 | Welcome to the new year as well. |
| 0:39.0 | We're rolling full steam ahead into 2026. |
| 0:41.8 | And there's no better person to be joining me for this convo today than Sarah Berks. |
| 0:46.3 | Hello. |
| 0:47.3 | Yay. |
| 0:48.0 | I'm excited to be here. |
| 0:49.3 | Always wonderful to have you here. |
| 0:50.9 | I love talking retail with you. |
| 0:52.4 | And just big picture industry conversations |
| 0:55.3 | that I think a lot of retailers want to be having right now are really just revolving around |
| 1:00.5 | what is business in the new year going to look like? And what in the heck happened in 2025? |
| 1:06.3 | The stats show over 15,000 stores close their doors this year, which is frightening, right? There's a lot of conversation about that. And I think I saw a post a while ago in the group, and it was there was just a lot of fear about, you know, why did so many stores close? What is happening? And what does that mean for the rest of us? I have a lot of thoughts and opinions on this, as I know you do as well. Give me your take. Like what do you think went wrong in 2025? Why was that such a big number? Man, I also like to just say it's not just, I mean, for anybody thinking, oh, it's just small businesses, it's not. You know, it's some of these big stores. It's some of the stores that you grew up knowing and trusting. And, you know, you saw some really struggling |
| 1:47.0 | numbers coming from the targets and the Walmarts of the world. And so, you know, there is such an interesting story out there. And I'm, you know, I know you are as well. Just we're here for it. We're all in, diving in, looking and, you know, getting to the bottom of this story and what |
| 2:01.8 | it means to our members, you know, here at the boutique hub, our small businesses. And, you know, |
| 2:06.6 | I think there's something to be said about trying to be something for everyone. And there's |
| 2:12.0 | something to be said about losing focus on that consumer and what they actually need. And that psychology, right? Like the |
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