Christopher & Banks, a national retailer of clothing for women between the ages of 40 and 60, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move it blamed on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The suburban Minneapolis retailer, which has more than 400 stores in 40 states, including a location in Morgantown Mall, will close most of those stores, including Morgantown’s.
“Since the start of the COVID pandemic, we have taken aggressive steps to protect our business while continuing to serve our customers in a healthy and safe environment,” said Keri Jones, president and CEO of Christopher & Banks, in a statement released by the company.
“Despite the tremendous advancements we have made in executing our strategic plan, due to the financial distress resulting from the pandemic and its ongoing impact, we elected to initiate this process and pursue a potential sale of the business in whole or in part to position the company for the future.”
The Morgantown store is expected to be open through February, a sales associate said. The store is currently running a sale where all merchandise is discounted 40% to 60%. Other area locations of Christopher & Banks include Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport and Uniontown Mall in Uniontown, Pa.
Besides Christopher & Banks, other national retailers that have filed for bankruptcy because of the pandemic and closed stores in the Morgantown area include Pier 1 Imports and Pet Valu. J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy, but has not closed any area stores.
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