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Oh No! Affordable Plus Size Fave, Charlotte Russe Closes Its Doors!
In a very stunning and abrupt turn of events, long-time junior and junior plus fave, Charlotte Russe, is closing its doors! In a court hearing in Delaware, the company, which was founded in sunny San Diego in 1975, confirmed that they are partnering with a liquidation firm to sell their assets and begin bankruptcy proceedings.
GASP!
Shock!
RIP Charlotte Russe!
We know Charlotte Russe is a go-to for many curvy and plus babes for affordable and easy casual junior plus size fashion. They also were one of the few places that made plus size prom dresses back in the day. With this closure, what does this mean for the plus size retail industry? The retail community?
At the time of this article, the e-commerce site had closed down… However, their social media pages, boasting over 3 MILLION followers (across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook), were still up and running, with no mention of this news…
Still have gift cards to shop Charlotte Russe?
The last day to use gift cards is March 21 and all stores are expected to be closed by April 30. Surprisingly, the online side of Charlotte Russe has officially closed and the in-store liquidation sale began last Thursday in all of its 416 stores! Like with any other liquidation sales, all sales are final.
How do you feel about the news? Were you ever an ardent shopper and supporter of the junior and junior plus retailer? More importantly, are you going to be at the liquidation sale trying to wrack up on farewell goodies?
Let us know in the comments below! Let’s talk about it…
About the Author
Jess Sims
My name is Jess (hey girl hey!) I am a plus fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle blogger doing this for the people who love muted tones in glam styles that they can take from the boardroom to happy hour and beyond. I’m originally from California, but have lived all over - England, New York, North Dakota, DC. I work full time in corporate America and love using fashion to express myself. In addition to contributing at TCF, I blog over at A Neutral Life.
There are several reasons retailers go under in 2019. One is that they failed to keep up with what tgeir customers want.
Another is poor management decisions that cause the brand to hemorage profit till they can’t pay their bills, like opening too many stores too fast, or failing to modernize their operations – specifically supply chains – to limit overstock.
Finally, simply failing to develop new customers will by itself doom an age-targeted brand like this, because customers age out of your styles – there must be more coming up who fill those gaps. There’s too much competition now, with Asos, H&M, Torrid, Forever21, Old Navy and others providing affordable junior plus options…
As someone who worked in retail marketing till two tears ago, I suspect it’s a combination of factors – but if a company can’t differentiate itself, it’s doomed.
Curious what other readers think?
Interestingly enough, I too come from 12 years of retail before starting TCF and I agree with everything you have shared here… the layers of bureaucracy, red tape, and a refusal to adopt has challenged quite a few brands as new ones disrupt and challenge the status quo… just look at magazines who failed to realize the rise of digital platforms and blogs!
You and I are >>here<<
Agree! So many brick-and-mortar stores have to start adapting faster development methods and a better customer identity. I hate to say it, but Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing have their ideal customer DOWN. SO many of these stores are going to have to catch up.
Yesssssss!
Agree! So many brick-and-mortar stores have to start adapting faster development methods and a better customer identity. I hate to say it, but Fashion Nova and Pretty Little Thing have their ideal customer DOWN. SO many of these stores are going to have to catch up.