3 Eddie Bauer stores slated for closure in MD

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Three Eddie Bauer Outlet stores in Maryland are among those having a closing sale after the owner of the brand’s brick-and-mortar stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Eddie Bauer LLC announced on Feb. 9 it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey and entered into a restructuring support agreement with its secured lenders.

A March 6 auction the debtors scheduled has been canceled, but the debtors could still consider a proposal to buy some or all of Eddie Bauer LLC’s assets, according to bankruptcy documents.

In the meantime, closing sales will continue at all of the brick-and-mortar stores.

The auction was canceled after the debtors didn’t receive what they considered to be a qualified bid by the March 3 bid deadline.

RCS Real Estate Advisors is marketing about 174 Eddie Bauer LLC store leases, including 150 in 40 states and 24 in Canada, according to a March 3 RCS release.

The bankruptcy sale of leases includes the following Eddie Bauer store spaces:

• Hagerstown Premium Outlets south of Hagerstown, Maryland, with the lease set to expire July 31, 2028.
• Queenstown Premium Outlets in Queenstown, Maryland.
• Arundel Mills in Hanover, Maryland.
• The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• Tanger Outlets Lancaster in the area of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
• The Shoppes at Susquehanna in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• Tanger Outlets Rehoboth Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

The longtime Eddie Bauer Outlet at Hagerstown Premium Outlets opened in January 1995, according to Herald-Mail archives. The outlet center opened in August 1994 as Prime Outlets at Hagerstown.

Lease sales are subject to bankruptcy court approval.

What Eddie Bauer customers should know

A manager at the Eddie Bauer Outlet south of Hagerstown said March 4 that she did not have a closing date for the store.

However, a Feb. 23 filing in the bankruptcy case states that store closing sales at the 175 brick-and-mortar stores “remain ongoing and are projected to conclude before April 30.”

Customers with Eddie Bauer gift cards have until March 12 to use them at the closing stores, according to bankruptcy case documents.

Merchandise sold in the closing sales will be final with no refunds and/or returns accepted at the stores.

The company’s online sales and wholesale operations are not affected by the wind down because they are operated by Outdoor 5 LLC, the Feb. 9 release states.

Authentic Brands Group announced Jan. 8 it was expanding its partnership with Outdoor 5 LLC (Oved) to assume responsibility of the Eddie Bauer “brand’s e-commerce and wholesale operations, as well as design and product development in the United States and Canada.”

“The strategic focus on digital growth builds on Eddie Bauer’s strong online footprint and its community of explorers, who come together across its platforms to share and seek new adventures,” the release states.

Authentic Brands also has Reebok, Nautica, Brooks Brothers and Dockers in its portfolio.

Why did Eddie Bauer LLC file for bankruptcy?

Catalyst Brands CEO Marc Rosen, in a Feb. 9 release, said Eddie Bauer LLC has been facing decling sales, supply chain challenges and other issues.

Eddie Bauer LLC is a division of Catalyst Brands, which holds the license to operate about 180 Eddie Bauer stores in the United States and Canada.

“Over the past year, these challenges have been exacerbated by various headwinds, including increased costs of doing business due to inflation, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and other factors. While the leadership team at Catalyst was able to make significant strides in the brand, including rapid improvements in product development and marketing, those changes could not be implemented fast enough to fully address the challenges created over several years,” Rosen said in the release.

Eddie Bauer’s history

Eddie Bauer was founded by Eddie Bauer, a Seattle native with a passion for hunting and fishing. The store says it aims to “inspire, enable, and empower everyone to experience the outdoors and live their adventure.”

The brand opened as Bauer Sports Shop in 1920 and celebrated its centennial in 2020. Eddie Bauer’s products range from performance outerwear to apparel, footwear, and accessories, and are available online in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Japan, and other international markets.

Reporting by Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

USA Today staff writers Fernando Cervantes Jr., Saman Shafiq, and Anna Kaufman contributed to this story.