People hear a store is closing and jump straight to “the whole company must be in trouble.” Lately, Burlington has been one of those—rumors are flying, especially when you see individual stores shut down. So, let’s get this straight: Burlington is not going out of business. In fact, if anything, it’s on a bit of a growth streak.
What’s Going On With Burlington as a Company?
Burlington Stores, Inc., which used to go by Burlington Coat Factory, has kept itself busy across the country. You’ve probably walked past one in a local strip mall or anchored to a big shopping complex. The company describes itself as a national “off-price” retailer—which just means they sell brand-name clothing, accessories, and home goods for less than the regular department stores.
You’ll find over 1,000 Burlington stores from coast to coast and even over in Puerto Rico. All together, that puts the company in 46 states. That’s already a huge footprint. They’re no small player, either. Burlington is number three in the U.S. when it comes to off-price stores, sitting behind only TJX (that’s TJ Maxx and Marshalls) and Ross Stores. All three are known for catching shoppers looking for name brands without the sticker shock.
Pull up the stock market, and Burlington’s there, too. It’s a Fortune 500 business, trading on the New York Stock Exchange as BURL. That means Wall Street’s always keeping an eye on its numbers and decisions.
All Signs Point to Expansion—Not Shutting Down
So, what are people seeing that’s leading to all these rumors? Part of it is the fact that, yes, some individual Burlington locations are closing down. But if you zoom out, that’s kind of missing the forest for the trees. Burlington as a whole is growing, not shrinking.
A big part of their strategy is snapping up leases from stores that go out of business. If you’ve followed retail news the past few years, you know plenty of big names have disappeared—Bed Bath & Beyond, Conn’s, and Joann, to name just a few.
When those brands went bankrupt, Burlington didn’t hesitate. In 2023, they took over more than 40 former Bed Bath & Beyond stores. After Conn’s went under, Burlington grabbed 15 of those spaces, too. In early 2025, they made moves to take about 45 locations from the Joann bankruptcy deal.
These aren’t just empty buildings—they’re move-in ready spaces with good locations, plenty of parking, and foot traffic. For Burlington, taking over those leases means expanding faster and more efficiently than if they built everything from scratch.
Their store count shows how much ground they’ve gained. A decade ago, Burlington had around 600 locations. By the end of 2025, it’s expected to be closer to 1,200—a huge jump in just ten years.
Looking forward, Burlington’s leadership is clear about what’s coming. They plan to roll out a net 104 new stores in 2025. And they’re not stopping: they’ve set a target of at least 110 net new stores for 2026, with about 40% of those coming from those newly acquired Joann locations.
Put simply, these moves and expansion targets are exactly what you’d expect from a retailer with strong confidence in its future.
Financials: Burlington’s Business Is Healthy
A lot of times, store closing rumors pop up because people assume declining sales or bankruptcy must be behind them. But Burlington’s actual numbers tell a different story.
Let’s look at their recent performance. In 2024, Burlington reported almost $3.3 billion in net sales, a 4.8% increase from the year before. Their net income—basically the money left after bills—grew 14% to $260 million. That’s the kind of number you want to see, especially with costs and wages rising all over retail.
Burlington’s CEO, Michael O’Sullivan, has been open with investors about the bigger picture. He’s said the outlook for the U.S. economy in 2025 is a bit uncertain—but that kind of environment can actually help Burlington. People tend to shop off-price stores more when they’re being careful with their money. When budgets get tight, the draw of a name-brand jacket or cookware set at a discount only gets stronger.
So while the economy’s wobbly in places, Burlington’s model actually gives it an advantage, not a reason to panic.
Why Are People Saying “Burlington Is Closing”?
If Burlington is doing so well, why do you keep seeing posts about local stores shutting their doors? There are a few reasons for this–and most have more to do with local store decisions than the health of the whole chain.
Sometimes, a store simply doesn’t perform as expected. Maybe foot traffic isn’t what it used to be. Maybe the rent is too high, or there’s a better space just a couple miles away. Retail is a game of constant adjustment, especially for companies that run hundreds of locations.
You can see this play out in real time online. A local Facebook group in Pennsylvania might have a post announcing the “permanent closure” of a specific Burlington, with residents worried it means job losses or that more stores will follow. Over on Reddit, shoppers in Stamford, Connecticut, discussed seeing Burlington close its downtown spot—only for the company to move just a few minutes down the road and take over a shiny, more prominent space that used to be a Bed Bath & Beyond.
This might sound bad, but relocating isn’t the same as closing for good. These moves are actually part of Burlington’s bigger real estate play—trading older, less profitable sites for more attractive locations. Sometimes, it means closing an underperforming site in an expensive downtown and opening a new store in a busy suburban retail center.
It’s the kind of thing lots of big chains do. You don’t see headlines every time McDonald’s or Walmart relocates or closes a few stores here and there. With Burlington, because they’re often moving into spaces from other failed retailers, people notice the swap and sometimes assume it’s a sign of trouble. In most cases, it’s just ordinary business evolution.
How to Check on Your Own Local Burlington Store
If you want to know what’s happening with your nearest Burlington, there’s a pretty easy way to get the latest. First, keep an eye out for official notices. If a closure or relocation is happening, Burlington usually posts signs at the affected store itself. Sometimes they’ll also send out emails or notify local media.
The company’s own website is another quick resource. Burlington’s store locator tool is updated regularly—so if your location is disappearing from the map or has a new address, you’ll know right away. This beats relying on rumors or viral social media posts, which often confuse one store’s shutdown with the entire brand closing up shop.
Also, don’t hesitate to just ask inside the store itself. Employees can usually tell you if a move or closing is planned, or if it’s business as usual. They’ll often know before the news makes its way online.
What’s the Big Picture for Burlington?
At the company level, Burlington is in a pretty strong spot. They’re expanding their footprint, buying up leases from bankrupt rivals, and outpacing much of the brick-and-mortar retail world when it comes to new stores.
Sure, not every single location makes sense forever. Markets change, towns grow or shrink, and shopping trends shift, especially with all the economic ups and downs lately. Burlington’s willingness to close a few stores—if that means re-opening in a better spot—isn’t a red flag. It’s actually pretty strategic. They’d rather have 1,200 stores that all make money than carry a few that cost more to run than they’re worth.
For readers interested in these kinds of business stories, sites like Quick Business Point often track the real estate deals and financial details behind these moves. It’s a reminder that retail isn’t just about selling clothes or coffee mugs. It’s about picking the right location, the right moment, and the right customer.
As long as there are shoppers looking for deals, off-price chains like Burlington will stick around—and probably grow. The company’s focus on expanding even as other chains struggle backs up what the data already shows.
If your local Burlington has closed or moved, it’s definitely frustrating, especially if it means a longer drive. But from a business perspective, it usually just means Burlington found a better spot nearby—or more customers to serve somewhere else.
So the answer to “Is Burlington going out of business?” is a pretty clear no. If anything, you’re likely to see more stores pop up in the future, not fewer. The occasional individual closure is just business—not a sign of a broader collapse. Keep an eye out, and you’ll probably notice a Burlington taking over a new corner in your city sooner rather than later.
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