Another Popular Retailer Closing Down Most, And Likely All, Of Their Stores

With how the past few months have been going, it is remarkable to drive by a shopping center and see any stores in business. Recently, huge retailers like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Tuesday Morning, Christmas Tree Shops and Sears have announced that they are closing either all or most of their stores, and now, another chain is joining their ranks.

The biggest bridal-store chain in America, David's Bridal, announced in April that they were filing for bankruptcy and would be laying off 9,000 of its 11,000 employees, citing reasons like a shift in trends, inflation, and competition from online and secondhand stores. Well now, the effects of that decision are being seen as many of their 294 locations are closing down.

According to paperwork filed by the chain, employees' last days will be between August 20th and September 2nd, but stores are closing before then, including this week, like in Massachusetts where the company is shuttering half of its locations. There are likely many more that will close in the coming days too - a real estate company has listed for sale or auction 278 leases for David's Bridal stores in 48 states.

Things aren't looking great for the company either. According to Bloomberg News, they are struggling to find a buyer and without one, all stores will be closing. For now though, brides who have already purchased a dress will have their orders fulfilled without delays. You can also still shop at the stores, but if you have a gift card or store credit, unfortunately, those forms of payment won't be accepted. Per the company's website, "As of May 18, 2023, all gift cards and store credits have been cancelled and no longer contain value."

David's Bridal was founded in 1950. In court documents, the company stated that about one in every four brides in America got their wedding dress from the chain, and that nearly 90% of brides visited the David's Bridal website at least once while wedding planning.