Pier 1 is closing 8 of its 12 Twin Cities stores

Pier 1 Imports is closing more than half of its Twin Cities locations.

Eight of the 12 metro locations are having liquidation sales with discounts of 20% to 40%, including Coon Rapids, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Oak Park Heights, Richfield, Roseville, St. Paul and Shakopee.

Stores in Burnsville, Maple Grove, Minnetonka and Woodbury will remain open.

In early January, the home-furnishings company announced that it would close nearly 450 of its 942 stores and distribution centers in 2020.

Company representatives did not respond to a request to confirm the local closings. But locations quitting business have been deleted from its website.

Pier 1 Imports was founded in California in 1962 and created a format around specialty goods from other countries, known for years for its wicker furniture and colorful fabrics.

Now based in Fort Worth, Texas, the company in recent years has experienced declining comparable sales and even posted losses in some quarters. Many younger customers have gravitated to online sellers such as Wayfair and discount retail chains. In November, Pier 1 hired Robert Riesbeck, a veteran of retail bankruptcies, as its new chief executive.

Employees at several Twin Cities stores said storewide going-out-of-business sales started about six weeks ago but were not formally announced as store-closing sales. An employee who answered the phone at the Eden Prairie store said the store is closing at the end of April, but other Twin Cities stores have staggered closing dates. New merchandise is still being received at some locations being shuttered, employees said.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, the St. Cloud and Mankato stores are closing at the end of the month, but the Rochester and Duluth locations are not slated to close.