BRANSON MO NEWS: Shoe chain Payless ShoeSource filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is closing nearly 400 stores.(Photo: MATT ROURKE, AP)Payless ShoeSource said Wednesday that it plans to close its store at 1758 S. 20th St. in Ozark, along with 11 other Missouri locations.The Topeka-based shoe chain on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest retailer to succumb to increasing competition from online rivals like Amazon.”This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify,” Payless CEO W. Paul Jones said in a statement.The company, which was founded in 1956, says it has approximately 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries. On Wednesday, Payless named nearly 400 stores that are closing.The list includes 12 stores in Missouri. In addition to Ozark, the stores closing are in Independence, Chillicothe, Grandview, Arnold, Kirksville, Maryville, Sikeston, Osage Beach, Chesterfield, Belton and Kirkwood.It wasn’t immediately clear how many stores the chain will continue operating in Missouri. Locally, however, the company has three locations in Springfield, two in Joplin and one in Branson that are not on the store closure list.Other retail chains that have closed, or are in the process of closing, stores …
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