Ascena Retail Group announced on Monday that they will begin to wind down business of their Dressbarn franchise, which will ultimately lead to the closure of their 650 stores, including three in Queens.
Ascena, which owns other brands such as Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lane Bryant, say that the decision was made so they could focus on their more profitable brands.
Dressbarn currently has three stores in Queens, located in Fresh Meadows (61-38 190th St.), Glendale/Forest Hills (89-89 Union Tpke.) and Rego Park (95-24 63rd Road). At this time, it is not immediately clear when these stores will close – plans for closing individual Dressbarn locations, including information about store closing sales, will be shared during the wind down process.
In a separate statement, Dressbarn stated that the stores will continue to operate as usual, in-store and online, until more information about individual store closures is announced.
“For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women’s fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers. This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment,” said Steven Taylor, chief financial officer of Dressbarn. “During the wind down process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great experience both in-store and online, offering them even better deals and value. We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process.”
Dressbarn is the latest franchise to announce their imminent closure. In February 2019, the discount shoe retailer Payless Shoesource announced that they would be closing all 2,100 of their brick-and-mortar shops in the United States.
