Bath & Body Works has been slimming down its brick-and-mortar empire, quietly closing dozens of stores across its domestic and international networks while it tries to reinvent how and where customers shop. The Columbus-based retailer says the retrenchment is part of a broader pivot toward digital partners and off-mall locations, a play that could jolt foot traffic patterns at malls across the country. In Columbus, home to the company’s corporate campus and major distribution hubs, the moves are a reminder of just how much sway one national brand can have over the local economy.
Per Bath & Body Works, the chain opened 94 new North American stores and permanently closed 62 company-operated locations during the year, while partner-operated operators shut 30 international outlets, for 92 closures worldwide in total. The filing shows the net effect left the company with about 1,927 company-operated stores in North America as of Jan. 31, 2026, and the change was first flagged by Cleveland.com. Those figures combine company-run and partner-operated sites, which helps explain why the headline closure number is larger than company-operated cuts alone.
Company frames the shift as a transformation
Bath & Body Works is casting the cutbacks as a deliberate step in its multi-year Consumer First Formula transformation, aimed at sharpening its focus on core products and opening more paths for customers to discover them. In a March 4 press release, CEO Daniel Heaf said, “The earlier-than-planned launch on Amazon and the rollout of our new brand identity are clear examples of our team's focused execution,” and the company provided guidance that anticipates full-year net sales to decline between 4.5% and 2.5% in fiscal 2026, according to Bath & Body Works. Executives say the goal is to reposition the brand and free up resources for marketing and product investment rather than propping up weaker stores.
Off-mall shift and marketplace bets
The SEC-filed annual report (SEC) notes that roughly 60% of the North American fleet sat in off-mall locations as of Jan. 31, 2026, and it outlines about $250 million in targeted cost savings over the next two years to fund reinvestment. The brand also launched an official storefront on Amazon in February 2026 and is leaning on third-party distribution to reach lapsed and new shoppers, a move covered in industry reporting by Retail Dive. Company materials and analysts say most of the closures have hit lower-traffic mall locations, while new openings tilt toward standalone and strip-center spots. Your local mall, in other words, may be losing some candle power while the strip center down the road gains it.
What it means for Columbus and malls
Because Bath & Body Works keeps significant operations in the Columbus area, from corporate offices to its Beauty Park manufacturing campus, the chain's national real estate moves ripple through local suppliers, logistics jobs and mall tenant mixes. Local reporting and company filings indicate the closures have been concentrated in traditional mall sites, a trend that tightens the screws on mall landlords while brightening prospects for off-mall and power-center owners, according to the SEC. For shoppers, that likely means more encounters with the brand in freestanding stores and online marketplaces and fewer tiny in-line mall shops over time.
Investors and retail landlords will be watching to see whether Bath & Body Works' bets on digital distribution, a refreshed brand identity and a leaner mall-exposed footprint actually translate into stronger traffic and margins. For now, the company says the rebalancing is meant to unlock cash for core products and marketing while meeting consumers where they increasingly shop, whether that is a power center down the freeway or a scroll through an online marketplace.
