Ascena Retail Group Announces Closure of All Dressbarn Stores - NPR |
| Ascena Retail Group Announces Closure of All Dressbarn Stores - NPR Posted: 21 May 2019 11:00 AM PDT  The Dressbarn in Nanuet, N.Y., is one of nearly 650 stores expected to close. A final shutdown date has not been announced. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images hide caption  The Dressbarn in Nanuet, N.Y., is one of nearly 650 stores expected to close. A final shutdown date has not been announced. Dave Kotinsky/Getty ImagesDressbarn, the women's clothing chain founded in the 1960s as a place where women in need of career-wear "could find fashion at a value," is closing all its stores. Ascena Retail Group announced the closure of about 650 stores late Monday, saying the "wind-down" would help the company focus on its more profitable brands. "This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment," Steven Taylor, the company's chief financial officer, said in a statement. In a separate statement, the company called the move "another significant step taken to advance Ascena's ongoing transformation." The New Jersey-based women's retailer also owns Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant, Lou & Grey, Catherines, Cacique and Justice. The company sold its Maurice brand earlier this month.   The closures could be a blow for some malls across the country where vacancy rates have shot up in recent years, following the shuttering of anchor stores, including Sears, Kmart, and J.C. Penney. In 2018, approximately 9% of storefronts in regional malls remained empty, according to the latest figures from Reis, a real estate research firm. The Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield, Pa., where a Dressbarn will be closing, has seen five key stores vanish since the start of 2019, including Sears, Charlotte Russe, Gymboree, Payless ShoeSource and Helzberg Diamonds. The space previously occupied by the Bon Ton department store is under renovation to become a casino. A final Dressbarn shut down date has not been announced. Stores will remain open with no changes to return, refund or gift card policies. About 6,800 people are employed by the chain.  |
| Fort Collins, Loveland to lose women's clothing store chain - The Coloradoan Posted: 22 May 2019 12:33 PM PDT CLOSE  Dressbarn stores in Fort Collins and Loveland will shut down as part of the national closure of about 650 stores. The women's clothing store first opened in Fort Collins at Front Range Village in 2008 and moved to 4350 S. College Ave. in 2015. For now, the Fort Collins and Loveland stores remain open, as does the Dressbarn website. There are no current changes to the store's return, refund or gift card policies, according to a company statement. The decision was difficult but necessary, said Steven Taylor, Dressbarn chief financial officer, in a statement. The chain had not shown "an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment." The assistant manager on duty at the Fort Collins store Wednesday morning referred all questions to corporate but said there is no firm timeline for the closure. Reaction from Fort Collins shoppers was mixed Wednesday. "I'm devastated," said Carol Bores of Loveland, a frequent customer. She said she has "no idea" where she will shop once the store closes. "It's kind of scary." Linda of Fort Collins, who did not want to give her last name, said she was at the store to see if there were bargains to be had. She said the name of the store worked against it in capturing her clothing dollars. " 'Barn' doesn't evoke nice clothes that you want to wear," she said. "It evokes farm animals and heifers. But they always have people (shopping) in here, so people are looking past the name." Dressbarn is part of New Jersey-based Ascena Retail Group, whose other brands include Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Catherines, Cacique and Justice. The company recently sold its Maurices brand. "During the wind-down process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great experience both in-store and online, offering them even better deals and value," Taylor said in the statement. "We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process." According to the statement, plans for closing individual stores and information about store closing sales "will be shared during the wind-down process." This year has been tough for retailers, with more store closings announced than in all of 2018. With Dressbarn closures, there are more than 7,000 closings announced for 2019. Pat Ferrier is a senior reporter covering business, health care and growth issues in Northern Colorado. Please support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by subscribing: See Coloradoan.com/subscribe to learn how. Read or Share this story: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/money/2019/05/22/fort-collins-loveland-lose-womens-clothing-store-dress-barn/3767206002/  |
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