In this article * SPG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Robert Barnes | Getty Images A number of retailers were already teetering on the brink of collapsing prior to the

coronavirus pandemic slamming the industry. The pressures have intensified immensely.  A few big names in retail, including Pier 1 Imports and Modell's Sporting Goods, filed for

bankruptcy much earlier in the year, weighed down by hefty debt loads and slumping sales even before the Covid-19 crisis was declared a national emergency in mid-March. Since then, that list

of names has ballooned.  A report from S&P Global Market Intelligence released earlier this month identified the dozens of retailers that have filed for bankruptcy in 2020 — which is

tracking, following monstrous activity and upheaval during the years around the Great Recession.  More filings are expected. The women's clothing company J.Jill, for example, is still

negotiating with its lenders after it issued a going-concern warning in mid-June. The U.S. mall owner CBL & Associates is also still in talks with its lenders after skipping two interest

payments during the pandemic, and issuing its own going-concern warning.  The fates of some of the retailers that have filed this year, including that of department store chain J.C. Penney,

are still up in the air. Some companies are still seeking buyers for parts of their businesses.  The wave of filings also means permanent store closures are piling up. The firm Coresight

Research is expecting store closures announced by retailers this year to reach a new record, surpassing 25,000. So far, more than 5,400 have been tracked, the global research group has said.

  Here are some of the biggest retail bankruptcies so far this year, in order by the date of filing.  PIER 1 IMPORTS A pedestrian walks past a Pier 1 Imports Inc. store in New York. Craig

Varga | Bloomberg | Getty Images The home goods chain Pier 1 Imports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 17, listing $340.6 million in liabilities.  Its plans to find a buyer

were unsuccessful, as the pandemic hit, ultimately pushing Pier 1 into a total liquidation. Its going-out-of-business sales at hundreds of stores kicked off recently, as local lock-down

restrictions in states began easing. Pier 1 is, meanwhile, planning to sell its intellectual property and other online assets to a firm known as Retail Ecommerce Ventures, for $31 million,

according to court documents.  ART VAN FURNITURE Art Van Furniture Source: Art Van Furniture The home goods chain filed for bankruptcy on March 8, listing liabilities in a range of $100

million to $500 million.  It planned to close most of its roughly 190 stores, but going-out-of-business sales were stalled because of the pandemic. Those sales have since been able to

restart at select locations. Some Art Van stores are being replaced with a company known as Levin Furniture.  MODELL'S SPORTING GOODS Modell's Sporting Goods store in North

Brunswick Township, New Jersey. Michael Brochstein | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images The sporting goods chain Modell's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 11,

listing liabilities of between $1 million and $10 million. At the time, it said it planned to shut all of its roughly 140 remaining stores for good, as the retailer was increasingly

conceding sales to Amazon and suffered a poor 2019 holiday season.  The coronavirus pandemic, however, upended Modell's going-out-of-business sales, with retailers deemed non-essential

forced to shut down for a period of time to try to help curb the spread of the virus. Modell's was later able to resume liquidation over the summer.  TRUE RELIGION True Religion brand

jeans Source: True Religion The denim brand True Religion filed for bankruptcy on April 13, listing liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million. This was notably its second time

doing so in under three years.  However, the company is expecting to emerge from bankruptcy later this year, according to court documents, having amassed roughly $138.5 million in secured

debt and another $44 million that was owed to unsecured creditors. When it filed, True Religion said it would have preferred to wait out the pandemic and stay-at-home orders, but

"simply could not afford to do so."  NEIMAN MARCUS A Neiman Marcus department store stands next to empty parking lots at the King of Prussia Mall which remains closed due to the

ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, May 21, 2020. Lucas Jackson | Reuters The upscale department store chain Neiman Marcus filed

for bankruptcy on May 7, listing liabilities of more than $1 billion.  Earlier this week, a court filing confirmed Neiman will be permanently leaving its recently opened store at the Hudson

Yards mall in New York City. It is also closing two stores in Florida and one in Washington. A hearing to approve Neiman's business plan to emerge from bankruptcy has been pushed back,

as some of the retailer's lower-ranking creditors have raised issue over an asset transfer in 2018. When the company filed for bankruptcy, it had a little over 40 department store

locations in the U.S.  J.C. PENNEY Signage is seen on a shopping cart inside a J.C. Penney Co. store in Peoria, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Plano,

Texas-headquartered department store chain J.C. Penney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 15, listing more than $1 billion in liabilities.  Penney's future is still being

determined, as it looks to emerge as a smaller company. It has already announced more than 150 store closures, along with 1,000 layoffs. The company currently has until July 31 to win

approval for a business plan, according to court documents. It has proposed splitting its business into two publicly traded companies, one of which would be a real estate investment trust.

When Penney filed for bankruptcy, it still was operating roughly 850 stores.  GNC HOLDINGS A customer at a GNC Holdings store in New York. Jin Lee | Bloomberg | Getty Images The health chain

GNC Holdings filed for bankruptcy on June 23, listing liabilities of more than $1 billion.  At the time, it said it planned to shut as many as 1,200 of its 5,200 U.S. stores, as it searched

for a buyer. The company is still hoping to emerge from bankruptcy later this year in the fall. In its bankruptcy filing, GNC said the pandemic only accelerated the "financial pressure

for the past several years."  LUCKY BRAND A pedestrian walks by a Lucky Brand retail store on July 06, 2020 in Corte Madera, California. Los Angeles based Lucky Brand Dungarees

announced that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the company is millions of dollars in debt. The retailer will close 13 of its 200 retail stores. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The

denim maker Lucky Brand filed for bankruptcy on July 3, listing liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million.  With more than 200 stores in shopping malls across the country, the

company has so far said it plans to close 13 locations permanently, but more could be on the way. A venture known as Sparc Group LLC, which is comprised of mall owner Simon Property Group

and the licensing firm Authentic Brands Group, has been named the stalking-horse bidder, offering $140.1 million in cash and $51.5 million in credit to buy the company's assets. The

deal is still subject to court approval.  SUR LA TABLE A pedestrian walks by a Sur La Table store on July 10, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The kitchen

accessories retailer Sur la Table filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 8, listing liabilities of between $50 million and $100 million.  At the time of the filing, the company said it had

already started liquidating 51 of its 121 U.S. stores. It was hurt especially by not being able to hold its in-person cooking classes, which it is most well-known for, during the pandemic. 

BROOKS BROTHERS  A Brooks Brothers store sign seen in London. Adam Jeffery | CNBC The men's apparel maker Brooks Brothers filed for bankruptcy on July 8, listing liabilities of between

$500 million and $1 billion.  A stalking-horse bid by Sparc (Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands Group) for $305 million is looking to salvage at least 125 stores. WHP Global, a rival

to ABG, is also preparing a bid for Brooks Brothers, the company told CNBC. Simon, which is the biggest U.S. mall owner by the number of malls it operates, had already teamed up with ABG to

supply a zero-interest, $80 million loan to carry Brooks Brothers through its restructuring, as the retailer searched for a buyer. A court hearing has been set for next month.  RTW

RETAILWINDS  A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks near a temporarily closed New York & Co. store in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S., on Friday, June 5, 2020. Andrew Harrer |

Bloomberg | Getty Images New York & Co. parent RTW Retailwinds filed for bankruptcy on July 13, listing liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million, with 378 retail and outlet

stores.  The retailer said it plans to permanently close most, if not all, of its locations. It is also still evaluating potentially selling its e-commerce operations and related

intellectual property in bankruptcy proceedings.  ASCENA RETAIL GROUP A Lane Bryant store in New York. The brand is part of Ascena Retail Group. Getty Images The parent company of Ann Taylor

and Loft, Ascena Retail Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week on Thursday, listing more than $1 billion in liabilities. It had 2,800 stores across the U.S.,

Canada and Puerto Rico, as of the filing.  Moving forward and hoping to get back to profitability, it said it plans to permanently close a "significant" number of Justice stores,

along with certain Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores during its restructuring. It is closing all of its plus-size Catherines stores. A final number of store closings

will be determined based on "the ability of Ascena and its landlords to reach agreement on sustainable lease structures," it said.  READ MORE: THESE RESTAURANT CHAINS FILED FOR

BANKRUPTCY DURING THE PANDEMIC  _—CNBC's __Nate Rattner__ contributed to this data visualization. _