Teen Clothing Store Closing All New York Stores

A popular teen clothing store has announced they are going out of business and closing all 540 of its stores including all New York locations.

For almost 50 years the East Coast-based clothing store Rue21 has been putting clothes on the backs of thousands of teenagers, but over the last few years business hasn't been as good as it once was and now it appears that they are going out of business.

Rue21 Going Out of Business

At its height of popularity, Rue21 had approximately 1,200 locations across the country, today that number is almost half and only getting smaller after they filed for bankruptcy again last week. For the third time in its existence, Rue21 filed for bankruptcy on Thursday signaling the end for the popular teen clothing store and the closing of all 540 stores.

The company currently has about $200 million in debt, 4,900 employees, and could see some stores close soon according to CNN.

Why is Rue21 Closing?

Company CEO Michele Pascoe said that Rue21 was "negatively impacted by challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic and related adverse market trends, including a shift in consumer shopping patterns from traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to online retailers and changing consumer preferences."

Underperforming locations and more teens shopping online also factored into the filing.

SEE ALSO: Another Clothing Store Closing 95 Stores, 11 in New York

When Are Rue21 New York Stores Closing?

Courts papers said that all 540 stores should close within the next 4 to 6 weeks, with many holding going out of business sales soon. The Rue21 website is no longer working and they currently have 10 New York locations including stores in Albany, Rochester, Deer Park, Rome, Syracuse, and Middletown, New York.

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We reached out to the Galleria at Crystal Run in Middletown, NY location to see when they would be closing but haven't heard back yet, when we do we will update this article.