Disney stores across the country are closing, including at City Creek

SALT LAKE CITY – Disney will close even more physical stores by September 15, including the one at City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, leaving just 25 of 300 in North America and none in Utah. The closest remaining store for the Utahns will be in Las Vegas.

This wave of closures of 57 Disney Store stores across North America is part of a company effort to focus on online shopping at shopDisney.com in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, citing changes in consumer purchases and a desire to log Disney Parks’ app purchases.

The online store will expand to include “collections of adult clothing, street wear, high-end home products and collectibles” in the coming months, Disney said in the announcement. The wave of closures will not reach Disney theme park stores.

“As consumer behavior has shifted towards online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer,” said Stephanie Young, president of consumer products, games and publishing at Disney, in a state. “Over the past few years, we’ve focused on reaching consumers where they already spend their time, such as expanding Disney Stores around the world. We now plan to create a more flexible and interconnected e. -a commerce experience that gives consumers easy access to unique, high-quality products in all of our franchises. “

North America is the first part of the world to close these stores, but Disney will also assess whether to close in Europe and other parts of the world.

Disney has also partnered with Target to create new Disney Store “shop-in-shops” at 160 outlets in select cities. The company has yet to announce where the new locations will be. There are currently two in Utah: South Jordan and American Fork.

Disney has yet to release a statement on the impact of the closures on employees and cast members at these locations, but has acknowledged that there will be an undisclosed number of layoffs as stores close.

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