US retailers still facing glut of stores despite holiday sales rebound

New York

EVEN after the strongest holiday season in a decade, US retailers still have a big problem: way too many stores.

That's the view of participants last week at the National Retail Federation's trade show, where industry experts predicted that chains will extend their record-setting run of store closings in the coming years as they struggle with heavy debt burdens and shrinking shopper traffic.

Continued fallout is expected for the next two to five ye…