Lord & Taylor Closing Last Florida Store In Nationwide Shutdown

FLORIDA — Lord & Taylor is closing all of its stores, including the last Florida location, as the retailer gears up for a series of going-out-of-business sales.

Lord & Taylor LLC and its parent company Le Tote Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month.

"While we're still entertaining various opportunities, we believe it is prudent to simultaneously put the remainder of the stores into liquidation to maximize value of inventory for the estate while pursuing options for the company's brands," said the company's chief restructuring officer, Ed Kremer.

For now, that means going-out-of-business sales, which kicked off at most stores on Thursday.

Even before boutiques and malls were shutdown by the coronavirus outbreak, traditional brick-and-mortar establishments saw a nosedive in revenue and popularity with the emergence of e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Walmart.

Lord & Taylor has one Florida location:

• Mizner Park Plaza: 200 Plaza Real - Mizner Park, Boca Raton

Other staples of the retail landscape have announced closing plans this year, which in some cases were accelerated by the pandemic.

Macy's officials in February said the iconic department stores plans to close 125 stores over the next three years, representing a fifth of the retail giant's locations. Four Macy's locations at Pompano Beach, Sanford, Vero Beach and Miami are expected to close in the first part of 2020.

Chains that are closing Florida stores include Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Papyrus, Gap, Motherhood Maternity, Dressbarn and more.

In early June, JCPenney announced it will close 154 locations nationwide, including nine stores in Florida after filing for bankruptcy.

In Florida, JCPenney locations set to close include:

• Desoto Square Mall, 303 301 Blvd W, Ste 701, Bradenton
• Coralwood Shopping Center, 2301 Del Prado Blvd, Ste 700, Cape Coral
• Gulf Coast Town Center, 10083 Gulf Center Dr, Fort Myers
• Regency Square Mall, 9501 Arlington Expy, Ste 105, Jacksonville
• Eagle Ridge Mall, 501 Eagle Ridge Dr, Lake Wales
• Santa Rosa Shopping Center, 300 Mary Esther Blvd., Mary Esther
• Orlando Fashion Square, 3115 E Colonial Dr, Orlando
• Lakeshore Mall, 901 US 27 N, Ste 150, Sebring
• Westshore Plaza, 201 Westshore Plaza, Tampa

And in May, the company that owns Victoria's Secret, PINK and Bath & Body Works stores said that a total of about 300 stories would close nationwide in the coming months.

Florida has 17 PINK stores and dozens of Bath & Body Works stores.

A record 9,300-plus store closings were announced in 2019, and that number could be even higher in 2020, according to a report by Business Insider.

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• More JCPenney Stores Closing, 9 In Florida To Shut Down
• 4 Gap Clothing Stores In Florida Close
• 7 Florida Pier 1 Stores Marked For Closure
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