Charlotte Russe, With 13 Maryland Stores, Files For Bankruptcy

Another major retailer has filed for bankruptcy protection. This time it’s Charlotte Russe, a women’s clothing company seen in malls across the country. The company, which has 13 Maryland locations, announced in a release Monday it voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware.

Charlotte Russe plans to close about 94 stores — roughly 20 percent of its fleet— and hopes to sell its business and assets. A spokeswoman for the company told The Wall Street Journal a going-concern sale is the retailer’s preferred path. The company will provide more details later about plans to close individual stores and closing sales.

There are 13 Charlotte Russe stores in Maryland, and six of the stores are reportedly going out of business.

Locations in Annapolis and Ocean City are slated to close, according to the Salisbury Daily Times. The Bel Air, Frederick, Gaithersburg and Hagerstown stores also have planned to shutter, CNBC reports.

Here are the Charlotte Russe stores in Maryland:

• Westfield Annapolis Mall, Annapolis
• Harford Mall, Bel Air
• The Mall in Columbia, Columbia
• Francis Scott Key Mall, Frederick
• Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg
• Valley Mall, Hagerstown
• Tanger Outlets, National Harbor
• Tanger Outlets, Ocean City
• The Centre at Salisbury, Salisbury
• Towson Town Center, Towson
• St. Charles Towne Center, Waldorf
• Westfield Wheaton, Wheaton
• White Marsh Mall, White Marsh

The company, based in San Francisco, said it has received a commitment of up to $50 million in debtor-in-possession financing. If approved by the court, the money would be used to support the company's operations and administration during bankruptcy proceedings.

According to CNBC, the private equity firm Advent International bought Charlotte Russe in a $380 million deal. But the chain has struggled and had to strike a deal last year to reduce its debt by $124 million. According to The Wall Street Journal, Charlotte Russe saw sales plummet in the third quarter of 2018 by more than $35 million. Adjusted earnings fell by more than $8 million compared to the third quarter of 2017.

“The Debtors suffered from a dramatic decrease in sales and in-store traffic, and their merchandising and marketing strategies failed to connect with their core demographic and outpace the rapidly evolving fashion trends that are fundamental to their success,” Brian Cashman, the company’s chief restructuring officer, said in court filing obtained by the newspaper.

Charlotte Russe has about 500 stores across the U.S. It is the latest domino to fall in the industry, following major closure announcements by Sears and children's clothing retailer Gymboree.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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