The discount shoe retailer could close as many as 1,000 stores as part of a debt restructuring plan, sources told Bloomberg. Currently, Payless has about 4,400 locations worldwide, including 3,600 in North America.
If Payless can't reach a deal with creditors the retailer may consider filing for bankruptcy, Bloomberg's Jodi Xu Klein and Lauren Coleman-Lochner reported Friday.
In January, Reuters reported that Payless was working with attorneys to restructure debt worth roughly $655 million. Later in the month, Payless laid off 165 associates, including 110 employees at the Topeka corporate office, The Topeka-Capital Journal reported.
Payless, like many other retailers, is hurting from a decline in foot traffic to shopping malls.
Earlier in January, The Limited, another apparel brand primarily based in malls, shut down all 250 of its stores and laid off 4,000 workers. Mall staples Sears and Macy's have also announced mass closures this year, with Sears planning to close 150 namesake stores and Kmart stores in 2017 and Macy's planning to shutter another 100 stores.