Retail

Another retailer has filed for bankruptcy

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Retail Apocalypse_Post

Gymboree
Gymboree has filed for bankruptcy.  Facebook/Gymboree

The children's clothing retailer Gymboree filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday.

The mall-based chain says it plans to remain in business during its restructuring but will close 375 to 450 of its 1,281 locations.

The company employs more than 11,000 workers.

Gymboree says the restructuring will reduce its debt by more than $900 million and position the company for "long-term success."

"We expect to move through this process quickly and emerge as a stronger organization that is better positioned in today's evolving retail landscape, with the right size store footprint and greater financial flexibility to invest in Gymboree's long-term growth," Gymboree CEO Daniel Griesemer said in a statement.

With the filing, Gymboree joins a long list of other retailers that have filed for bankruptcy this year, including Rue21, Payless ShoeSource, Hhgregg, The Limited, RadioShack, BCBG, Wet Seal, Gordmans, Eastern Outfitters, and Gander Mountain.

Already, more retailers have filed for bankruptcy this year than throughout all of last year.

If Gymboree closes 375 stores, it would bring the number of retail closings this year to more than 5,460.

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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.