The nation's largest Christian retailer will be closing all 240 stores in the near future as the challenging brick-and-mortar retail environment continues to collapse under the pressure of growing internet presence. Changing consumer behaviors, declining sales and an inability to price compete in the overall marketplace were reasons given for the closure.
At its height, Family Christian Stores represented over 30% of physical sales for many Christian music releases. The retail chain's dominance in the Christian book and music market began to steadily decline with major retailers like Wal-Mart adding key Christian releases to their shelves, along with the launch of iTunes in 2001 and the growing presence of online retail led by Amazon.
"We had two very difficult years post-bankruptcy," said Chuck Bengochea, company president, in a statement. "Despite improvements in product assortment and the store experience, sales continued to decline. We have prayerfully looked at all[…] Source: Christian Music