Lord & Taylor announced the closing of 19 stores around the U.S. after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 2.
Le Tote, which purchased Lord & Taylor in November 2019, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to a company press release.
Lord & Taylor has been struggling for a while to remain profitable in a changing retail environment. Many of its 38 locations are in shopping malls, which continue to decline as people’s shopping habits shift to other places, including online.
However, even with the Le Tote purchase in late 2019, Lord & Taylor continued to struggle with debt and cash-flow problems, which only got worse when COVID-19 forced the shutdown of retailers across the United States.
Lord & Taylor is just the latest in a long line of companies to announce closures and bankruptcies during to the coronavirus pandemic. JC Penney, Tuesday Morning and Pier 1 are just a few of the big-named retailers to close stores in the wake of the pandemic.
“Le Tote and Lord & Taylor will continue to operate during the chapter 11 process and offer the same superior service and value,” the company statement said. But 19 locations have already started the closing process.
The Lord & Taylor locations scheduled to close are:
- Danbury Fair Mall, Danbury, Connecticut
- Trumbull Store, Trumbull, Connecticut
- West Farms Mall, Farmington, Connecticut
- Mizner Park, Boca Raton, Florida
- Northbrook Store, Northbrook, Illinois
- Prudential Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- Natick Store, Natick, Massachusetts
- Columbia Mall, Columbia, Maryland
- White Flint Store, Kensington, Maryland
- Twelve Oaks Store, Novi, Michigan
- Willowbrook Mall, Wayne, New Jersey
- Crossgates Mall Store, Albany, New York
- Bay Shore Mall, Bay Shore, New York
- Walden Galleria Store, Buffalo, New York
- Eastview Mall Store, Rochester (Victor), New York
- Destiny USA Store, Syracuse, New York
- Ridge Hill Village, Yonkers, New York
- Bala-Cynwyd Store, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
- Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, Virginia
Lord & Taylor has already begun liquidation sales at these stores. “The 19 closing stores feature an abundant assortment of merchandise at significant price reductions,” according to the press release. “Celebrated brands like DKNY, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Bahama and more are part of the sale.”