The owner of Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, which just a few years ago was one of the country’s largest clothing retailers for women and girls, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, after declining sales and high debt were exacerbated by store closures mandated by coronavirus lockdowns. The company, Ascena Retail Group, will close 1,600 of its approximately 2,800 stores and hopes to shed $1 billion of its $1.1 billion in debt, the company said in a Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. The closings will include “a select number” of Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Loft and Lou & Grey stores, as well as all of its Catherines locations. Ascena had 53,000 employees last year, among them 40,000 part-time workers, according to recent government filings. Crew, Neiman Marcus Group, J.C. Penney, Lucky Brand, Stage Stores and GNC.

Source: New York Times July 23, 2020 12:15 UTC