“Notwithstanding the additional value flagships provide, the underlying financial realities of these retailers also needs to be weighed — flagships, by definition, are high value assets and if the flagship store is significantly unprofitable, the motivation to sell these sites and close the stores will be strong,” says Mark Ryski, Author, CEO & Founder of HeadCount Corporation. “Ultimately, I believe that closing a flagship — and especially the stores noted in the article — should be a very last resort. The fact that these retailers have made the decision to do so is very telling of what shape their businesses are actually in.”