Local

Local retail chain quietly shutting stores

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A local retail chain is quietly disappearing, with liquidation sales underway at remaining locations in the greater Charlotte region.

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Hi-lites, a women’s clothing retailer, has closed several stores already. That includes a location in downtown Newton, which is now posted for sale. A report from The Observer News Enterprise in March noted that disruption from construction projects in that Catawba County community that caused parking issues might have contributed to declining traffic at the store.

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But published reports from newspapers around the Carolinas over the past year point to struggling sales at other hi-lites stores, which offered name-brand clothing at close-out prices. And, of course, the retail industry in general is going through a major disruption with the rise of e-commerce and shifting shopper habits.

Read more here.