America’s largest Christian retailer, LifeWay Christian Resources, is closing all of their 170 of its retail locations by the end of 2019, including 4 locations in the greater Charlotte area.
The move comes amid a slew of other retail brand closures, including Gymboree, Sears, Bi-Lo, Kroger, Gander Mountain, and Toys-R-Us.
Lifeway will be shifting all of their focus toward selling books, music, and other Christian materials online.
“LifeWay is fortunate to have a robust publishing, events and church services business. Our retail strategy for the future will be a greater focus on digital channels, which are experiencing strong growth,” acting President and CEO Brad Waggoner said in an announcement Wednesday. “LifeWay is moving into a new era with a strategic digital focus that will prepare us for the future and allow us to better serve our customers.”
Earlier this year, the company closing several dozen brick-and-mortar locations, saying that declining foot traffic and sales made their continued operation unprofitable.
The company said that most of the remaining stores’ will liquidate their inventories and close within the next few months, including their locations in North Charlotte, Pineville, Gastonia, and Hickory;