• The Washington Post , Friday, May 18, 2007 12 PM

Discovery Communications will close its remaining 103 mall-based and stand-alone Discovery Channel stores by late summer or early fall. Discovery started in the 1990s with 15 stores of its own and bought 117 Nature Company stores in 1996. At the time--before the broad acceptance of online commerce--mall stores were a preferred way to sell branded merchandise.

Discovery examined the possibility of selling the stores, but found little interest from potential buyers, a Discovery executive says. Online sales of Discovery merchandise are up 144% in 2007, compared with the same period last year, the company says--partly on the strength of DVD sales of Discovery's hit, "Planet Earth."

The company recently bought out one of its few owners, Cox Communications, to simplify its ownership structure with the goal of becoming a publicly traded company in the near future. Yesterday's announcement likely will make Discovery more attractive to public investors.

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