Party City is closing 45 stores amid a global helium shortage — here's the list

Party City also said it has secured a new source of helium that should help relieve pressure from a global helium shortage.
Closing stores include locations in California, Illinois, Connecticut, and Washington.
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Party City plans to close 45 of its 870 stores in 2019, the company said Thursday.

The party supplies company also said it has secured a new source of helium that should help relieve pressure from a global helium shortage that has squeezed balloon sales.

"We believe this new source should substantially eliminate the shortfall we are experiencing at current allocation rates and improve our ability to return to a normal level of latex and metallic balloon sales," Party City CEO James Harrison said in a press release.

Party City made the announcements as it reported first-quarter revenue growth of 1% to $513 million and retail sales growth of 4%.

The company typically closes about 10 to 15 stores annually, but it will close a higher number of stores this year so it can better focus on its most profitable locations, Harrison said.

"This year, after careful consideration and evaluation of our store fleet, we've made the decision to close more stores than usual in order to help optimize our market level performance, focus on the most profitable locations and improve the overall health of our store portfolio," he said.

Party City did not immediately respond to a request for information on which store locations would be impacted by the closings. But the company has already confirmed some closures to local media outlets.

Here's the list of closings that have been confirmed so far:

19037 Golden Valley Road, Santa Clarita, California
300 S. Highland Springs Ave., Banning, California
3629 W. Florida Ave., Hemet, California
533 S. Broad St., Meridien, Connecticut
2350 Sycamore Road, DeKalb, Illinois
1020 N. Stratford Road, Moses Lake, Washington

If you know of any stores missing from this list, contact hpeterson@businessinsider.com.

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Party City is closing 45 stores amid a global helium shortage — here's the list

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