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Gymboree is shutting more than 800 stores as it files for bankruptcy

Gymboree
Gymboree will close all stores under the Gymboree and Crazy 8 banners. AP
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Gymboree Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to close more than 800 stores, the company said late Wednesday.  

The children's clothing retailer will close all stores under its Gymboree and Crazy 8 banners and pursue a going-concern sale for its Janie and Jack stores and the intellectual property and online platform for Gymboree.

The company has about 140 Janie and Jack stores.

Gymboree has asked the US bankruptcy court for authorization to continue honoring customer gift cards for another 30 days. The company has immediately discontinued its GymBucks and Gymboree Rewards programs.

Gymboree Group CEO Shaz Kahng said the company is "highly disappointed" about winding down the Gymboree and Crazy 8 businesses. "At the same time, we are focused on using this process to preserve the Janie and Jack business — a strong brand that is poised to grow — by pursuing a sale of the business as a going concern," Kahng said in a statement. "As we move ahead, we are working to minimize the impact on our employees, customers, vendors and other stakeholders."

Read more: Another retailer has filed for bankruptcy

Gymboree has suffered sales declines for years.

The company previously filed for bankruptcy in June 2017 and closed nearly 400 stores in the process. At the time of the filing, it had 1,281 locations and employed more than 11,000 workers.

A Gymboree liquidation will not impact Gymboree Play & Music, a company with more than 800 locations that was sold in 2016. Gymboree Play & Music offers music, art, and play classes for babies and toddlers.

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Hayley Peterson
Hayley Peterson
Hayley Peterson is an Executive Editor who oversees coverage of the economy, tech, media, advertising, defense, careers, and more.She was previously a chief correspondent at Business Insider and wrote breaking news, analysis, and in-depth investigations on large consumer companies, with an emphasis on retailers including Amazon, Walmart, major grocery chains, and department stores.Hayley won recognition from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing in 2018 for "defining the retail apocalypse" through her reporting on retail job losses, the decline of Sears, and the impact of store closings on bondholders.Prior to joining Business Insider in 2013, Hayley was a White House correspondent and embedded on the presidential 2012 campaign trail.