Retailers Put Brakes on Expansion

America's biggest retailers are beginning to ease up on the construction of new stores, reversing the if-we-build-it-they-will-come trend of recent years, CNNMoney reports. Faced with decreasing sales in a slowing economy, chains such as Wal-Mart, Target, Starbucks, McDonald's, and Walgreen either have cut back on new stores or are considering doing so.

"If Plan A was to expand at all costs, many of these companies are now considering Plan B, which is to take a more cautious approach to capital expenditures," said one analyst. That includes close scrutiny of existing stores with an eye toward boosting profits. Closures were up 12% in the first half of 2007, an industry group said. (More retail stores stories.)