Unsure if actually legal/viable but what if he just wants the real estate the stores are on - assuming they all own it outright, especially the older stores - hoping to profit massively off of holding a few key locations? Slash and burn the retail side to squeeze any last profit remaining etc. Seems like the risky shit he'd do.
I thought he was having serious beef with the landlords over rent ?
Im not sure if many of them actually own their own property in city centres.
Fair enough. I was probably giving him too much credit anyway.