Bankrupt Lord & Taylor Announces Layoffs At Connecticut Stores

CONNECTICUT — Staring down a bankruptcy, Lord + Taylor has announced it will be laying off about 150 employees at its soon-to-close stores in Connecticut, the department-store chain told state officials this week.

Parent company Le Tote notified the State Board of Labor of the pending cuts in letters postmarked Oct. 1. The letters were signed by Le Tote's chief restructuring officer.

The chain will cut 28 jobs at its Danbury Fair Mall site, 24 at Westfarms Mall in Farmington, 40 at the Westfield Trumbull Mall, and 58 positions at its store in Stamford. None of the employees are in a union.

The layoffs are scheduled to occur on Dec. 1 or during the 14 days following.

The parent of the nation's oldest chain of department stores announced its bankruptcy in August. The company cited increasing competition from online retailers as well as the "devastating impact" if the coronavirus for its decision.

In the August filing, the company said that liquidation specialists Hilco Merchants Resources and Gordan Brothers Retail Partners had been retained to administer closing sales at all 38 L+T locations. Le Tote also indicated it would sell off its most profitable stores if a buyer came forward.

The coronavirus pandemic has proven a moment of reckoning for many iconic retain brands in Connecticut. Pier 1 Imports and JCPenney both filed for bankruptcy, blaming the virus, in May, just around the time many mom-and-pop outfits were preparing to reopen. Both companies had also been struggling pre-pandemic as well, suffering the effects of the rise of online retail giants like Amazon and Wayfair. Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, Jos. A. Bank, Men's Wearhouse, Lane Bryant, Justice and Ann Taylor.

Although COVID has certainly accelerated the process, the retail landscape had started to shift dramatically long before the start of the pandemic. Forever 21, Walgreens, Dressbarn, Olympia Sports, A.C. Moore and other chains shut down more than 9,300 stores in 2019, back when "corona" meant nothing more than a Mexican beer to most people.