The women’s clothing company said it applied for Chapter 11 on Thursday due to “the financial hardship caused by the epidemic and its continuing impact.” Christopher & Banks, which has about 400 websites in 44 states, said it would shut down a “significant portion” of stores and was in “active discussion” to sell its website.
The bankruptcy warning was raised last year when the company announced that it had appointed an investment banker to refinance its debt and “explore other strategic alternatives”. In May, the company took out a loan of between $ 5 million and $ 10 million from the Payroll Check Protection Program According to CNN Business Database.
Christopher & Banks admitted in the latest earnings release that Covid-19 has particularly disrupted the shopping habits of women who shop in stores that offer more formal wear. The company said they were becoming more pragmatic shoppers, opting for leisure wear over social bonding clothing.
She is definitely not alone. Other retailers pointed to similar reasons in bankruptcy filing last year. Ascena Retail Group, owner of Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant, said it Business ‘severely disrupted’ Because of the epidemic, hundreds of stores are closed. RTW Retailwinds, owner of New York & Co. , Also Most of its stores have closed.
With the shift towards working from home, Business wear is outdatedThis jeopardizes the future of companies that depend on office clothes. New data from Coresight Research revealed that more than 8,700 stores closed in 2020 and another 1,400 this year alone.
