ROANOKE, Va. – Later this year, you'll no longer be able to walk into a LifeWay store.
The Nashville-based company announced Wednesday that it's closing all 170 of its brick-and-mortar stores in 2019 to focus on digital retail.
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The announcement follows the company's announcement in January that it would reduce its retail locations after seeing declining customer traffic and sales.
“The decision to close our local stores is a difficult one,” said acting President and CEO Brad Waggoner. “LifeWay has developed close connections with the communities where our stores are located, and we have been honored to serve those communities. We will continue serving local congregations as they meet the spiritual needs of their neighbors.”
The company says the exact timing of closures will vary by location, but it expects all stores to be closed by the year's end.
In the news release about the retail closures, the company touts that in one month, LifeWay interacts with five times as many people through its digital environments as it does through LifeWay stores.
The organization says it will continue to offer resources through LifeWay.com and the LifeWay Customer Service Center (1-800-458-2772). LifeWay also plans to continue to serve customers through its network of church partners who work directly with churches.
In our area, there are stores in Roanoke near Valley View Mall, in Lynchburg at Montview Commons and in Danville at Coleman Marketplace.