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Popular mall retailer to close nearly 300 stores nationwide

Yet another major shopping mall retailer has announced it will close many stores as it navigates Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Claire’s, a fashion and jewelry chain aimed at teen and “tween” girls, is slated to close nearly 300 locations, the company revealed in a court filing on Monday. The closures include 235 Claire’s locations and 56 Icing stores. Icing targets older teens and young adult women.  


A timeline for the closures was not released.

The move follows Claire’s bankruptcy filing earlier this month when it signaled it might need to close more than 1,100 stores if a buyer didn’t emerge.

“This decision is difficult, but a necessary one,” Claire’s CEO Chris Cramer said in a statement at the time. “Increased competition, consumer spending trends and the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retail, in combination with our current debt obligations and macroeconomic factors, necessitate this course of action for Claire’s and its stakeholders.”

A Claire’s store is seen in New York, Saturday, March 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Last week, Claires Holding LLC sold its North American business to Ames Watson, a private equity firm, for $104 million. Monday’s filing also listed 830 Claire’s and Icing stores that will not close – at least not immediately.

Claire’s joins a growing list of retailers to shutter locations in recent years due to shifting consumer habits and online competition. Others include Joann, Rue21, Express and Macy’s and Tuesday Morning.

Full list of Claire’s and Icing store closures by state:

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming