Still walking
Le Pain Quotidien (US)
Ceased May 1, 2020 · Returned May 1, 2020 · Successor company
The global parent filed for insolvency in Belgium in May 2020 while the US division separately filed Chapter 11 the same month, closing US locations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
How it came back
Aurify Brands, a New York restaurant group, provided $522,000 in bridge financing and then acquired all US units for $3 million in May 2020, planning to reopen at least 35 locations and create 1,000 jobs.
US locations operate today under Aurify Brands, unrelated in ownership to Cobepa, which remains the majority owner of the separate global Le Pain Quotidien business outside the US.
- Founded
- 1990
- Sponsor at closure
- Cobepa
Sources
- Wikipedia · founded October 26, 1990 in Brussels; Cobepa raised its stake to 43% in December 2019; May 2020 Belgian insolvency and separate US Chapter 11 filing; Aurify Bra
- Cobepa (company primary) · self-describes as an independent, privately-held investment company managing ~€5.5 billion NAV; still lists Le Pain Quotidien as a current portfolio company
- Le Pain Quotidien US (company site) · live US site with an active locations page and a 2026 copyright date, indicating the Aurify-owned US business is still operating
Still walking
Eastern Outfitters (Bob's Stores / Eastern Mountain Sports)
Ceased February 5, 2017 · Returned April 19, 2017 · Part of the business continued
Versa Capital's Vestis Retail Group filed Chapter 11 in April 2016 and closed all Sport Chalet stores; the renamed Eastern Outfitters holding company (Bob's Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports) filed its own Chapter 11 in February 2017 and planned to close 48 of 86 stores.
How it came back
Sports Direct International bought Bob's Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports for $101 million in April 2017 and kept both operating.
Bob's Stores closed for good in mid-2024, while Eastern Mountain Sports operates about six stores under UK retailer Mountain Warehouse as of late 2025.
- Founded
- 1954
Sources
- Retail Dive · February 2017 Eastern Outfitters Chapter 11 filing under Versa Capital ownership
- Retail Dive · plan to close 48 of 86 stores during the 2017 bankruptcy
- Wikipedia · TJX sold Bob's Stores to Versa Capital Management and Crystal Capital in 2008, forming Vestis Retail Group; Sports Direct bought Bob's and EMS for $101 million
- Wikipedia · founded 1967; ownership chain through Versa Capital (2012) and Sports Direct (2017); GoDigital's June 2024 Chapter 11 (EMS's third bankruptcy); Mountain Warehou
Still walking
American Apparel
Ceased January 16, 2017 · Returned January 1, 2017 · Brand or IP revived
Under the hedge-fund lender group's ~90% equity control, filed a second Chapter 11 in November 2016 carrying $82 million in additional debt added since the prior reorg; began laying off 2,500 Los Angeles factory workers on January 16, 2017 and closed its stores.
How it came back
Gildan Activewear bought the brand and other assets for $88 million in January 2017 and relaunched American Apparel as an online-only, overseas-manufactured brand.
Owned and operated by Gildan Activewear as an online house brand; no US factory or standalone retail store has operated since 2017.
- Founded
- 1989
- Sponsor at closure
- Monarch Alternative Capital and other lenders (lender committee)
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- California Apparel News · 2017 · lender committee including Monarch Master Funding, Coliseum Capital Partners, Blackwell Partners and Goldman Sachs held 90% equity after the 2016 reorganization
- CBC News · Gildan Activewear won the bankruptcy auction, paying $88 million for the brand and assets, not the stores
- Wikipedia · founded 1989 by Dov Charney; peak employment over 10,000 across 200-plus stores by 2008; January 2017 layoffs of 2,500 LA factory workers; brand continues as an
Still walking
Tuesday Morning
Ceased July 1, 2023 · Brand or IP revived
Filed Chapter 11 in February 2023 after a $35 million investment from Retail Ecommerce Ventures the prior September failed to stabilize the business; the case converted to Chapter 7 liquidation and all 487 stores closed by mid-2023.
How it came back
The Tuesday Morning brand and website were later relaunched as an online-only retailer; tuesdaymorning.com is an active e-commerce site as of 2026.
Most of Retail Ecommerce Ventures' brand portfolio, including Tuesday Morning, was acquired by Omni Retail Enterprises LLC by December 2023; no physical Tuesday Morning store has reopened.
- Founded
- 1974
- Sponsor at closure
- Retail Ecommerce Ventures
Sources
- Retail Dive · all 487 stores closing in 2023 liquidation
- Retail Dive · February 2023 Chapter 11 filing
- Wikipedia · REV invested $35 million in Tuesday Morning in September 2022; REV's assets, including its brand portfolio, were purchased by Omni Retail Enterprises LLC by Dec
Still walking
Things Remembered
Ceased December 28, 2022 · Returned January 10, 2023 · Successor company
Filed Chapter 11 in February 2019 under a KKR-led lender group with about $120 million of debt; an Enesco unit bought the business for $17.5 million and kept it open. Enesco closed every store, kiosk and the Ohio headquarters in December 2022.
How it came back
1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. announced on January 10, 2023 that it had acquired the Things Remembered brand (for about $5 million, per later reporting) and rebuilt it as an e-commerce-only operation; the physical retail stores were explicitly not part of the deal.
Operated today by 1-800-Flowers.com as an online-only personalized-gifts retailer, with no physical store.
- Founded
- 1967
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- Wikipedia · founded 1967; Madison Dearborn Partners' 2012 acquisition for $295 million; December 28, 2022 announcement of all retail store closures; 1-800-Flowers.com's Jan
- Tribune Chronicle · 2019 · a Balmoral Funds LLC-backed unit of Enesco offered $17.5 million for the roughly 128-store business and continued operating it under the Things Remembered brand
- Retail Dive · with roughly $120 million of debt, Things Remembered was owned by a consortium of investors including private-equity firm KKR & Co, which took ownership via a 2
- cleveland.com · 2023 · the company's website was down as of early January 2023, redirecting customers to Amazon, confirming a genuine operational gap before the 1-800-Flowers relaunch
- Business Wire (1-800-Flowers.com, company primary) · 2023 · 1-800-Flowers.com's acquisition of the Things Remembered brand for its e-commerce platform; the physical retail stores were explicitly not part of the transacti
Still walking
Barneys New York
Ceased February 23, 2020 · Returned October 25, 2019 · Brand or IP revived
Filed Chapter 11 on August 6, 2019, closing 15 of 22 stores immediately; Perry Capital, the hedge fund that had held majority control since 2012, ceased to be the owner. All remaining stores closed permanently by February 23, 2020.
How it came back
Authentic Brands Group bought the Barneys name and IP for $271.4 million in October 2019 and has since relaunched Barneys beauty and fragrance lines; as of 2026 the brand also operates through licensed stores in Japan and South Korea.
Owned by Authentic Luxury Group, an Authentic Brands and Saks Global venture; no Barneys store has operated in the US since February 2020.
- Founded
- 1923
- Sponsor at closure
- Perry Capital
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- Wikipedia · founded 1923 by Barney Pressman; Istithmar's 2007 purchase; Perry Capital's May 2012 majority acquisition; August 6, 2019 second bankruptcy with 15 of 22 stores
- Wikipedia · Perry Capital acquired ownership of Barneys in May 2012, reducing its debt from $590 million to $50 million, and remained majority owner until Barneys was 'sold
Still walking
Linens ‘N’ Things
Ceased December 28, 2008 · Returned November 1, 2020 · Successor company
Filed Chapter 11 on May 2, 2008, and closed all 571 stores by December 28, 2008, after Apollo Management's 2006 leveraged buyout left it unable to restructure its debt.
How it came back
The company briefly ran an online-only store from 2009 to 2018. Retail Ecommerce Ventures bought the brand in July 2020 and relaunched linensnthings.com that November.
Operated today by Retail Ecommerce Ventures as an e-commerce-only retailer; no physical Linens 'n Things store has reopened.
- Founded
- 1970
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- Wikipedia · founded 1970; Apollo Management's $1.3 billion 2006 buyout; May 2, 2008 Chapter 11 filing; store closures completed December 28, 2008; 7,300 employees as of Dec
- NBC News · 2008 · Linens 'n Things files for bankruptcy protection, May 2008
- NBC News · Apollo Management's $1.3 billion buyout agreement, $28/share
Still walking
Forever 21
Ceased May 1, 2025 · Returned September 1, 2025 · Brand or IP revived
F21 OpCo, the US operating company formed by Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Property Partners after Forever 21's 2019 bankruptcy, filed a second Chapter 11 in March 2025 citing competition from Shein and Temu, and closed all roughly 354 US stores and the US website by May 2025.
How it came back
Authentic Brands Group, which kept the brand's intellectual property, installed new US licensees in September 2025 and relaunched forever21.com as a digital-first operation. As of August 2025 it had not confirmed any reopened US stores.
Authentic Brands Group owns the Forever 21 brand and licenses US e-commerce and wholesale; unaffiliated international licensees kept operating throughout.
- Founded
- 1984
- Sponsor at closure
- Authentic Brands Group, Simon Property Group and Brookfield
Sources
- CNBC · 2025 · second Chapter 11 filing, ownership by Authentic Brands Group/Simon/Brookfield consortium, all US stores expected to close
- Authentic Brands Group (company primary) · 2025 · September 2025 relaunch of forever21.com under new US operating partners Unique Brands, Mark Edwards Apparel and Kidz Concepts
- Retail Dive · 2025 · international Forever 21 stores/licensees continued operating without interruption during the US bankruptcy; ABG in discussions to reopen US stores, no confirme
Still walking
Party City
Ceased February 28, 2025 · Returned April 21, 2026 · Brand or IP revived
Filed a second Chapter 11 on December 21, 2024, this time as a full liquidation rather than a restructuring, and closed all roughly 700 remaining stores by the end of February 2025, a little over a year after emerging from its first Chapter 11.
How it came back
New Amscan, an Ad Populum affiliate, bought Party City's intellectual property and wholesale operations for $20 million at the bankruptcy auction. On April 21, 2026 it relaunched Party City as shop-in-shops in more than 700 Staples stores and online.
Owned and operated by Ad Populum, which controls the brand and its Staples-based retail footprint; no standalone Party City store has reopened.
- Founded
- 1986
- Sponsor at closure
- Lender group led by Silver Point Capital
Sources
- NPR · 2024 · second Chapter 11 filing date, full wind-down of ~700 stores, prior ownership by lenders including Silver Point Capital after the 2023 restructuring
- Retail Dive · 2025 · New Amscan/Ad Populum bought Party City IP and wholesale business for $20 million at bankruptcy auction
- Business Wire (company primary) · 2026 · Staples partnership announcement date, shop-in-shop relaunch in 700+ Staples stores and online
Still walking
RadioShack
Ceased March 1, 2017 · Returned November 19, 2020 · Successor company
Filed a second Chapter 11 in March 2017 and closed the large majority of its US corporate stores.
How it came back
Retail Ecommerce Ventures bought the brand in November 2020 and relaunched it as an e-commerce site; the Unicomer Group acquired the worldwide RadioShack business in May 2023.
Operates today as radioshack.com and through third-party retailers, under Unicomer Group ownership; no RadioShack physical stores remain.
- Founded
- 1921
Sources
- Business Wire · 2020 · REV brand acquisition
- Unicomer Group (company primary) · 2023 · Unicomer Group acquired the global RadioShack brand and IP in May 2023
- TWICE (trade publication) · current e-commerce operations under the RadioShack brand
- Wikipedia · RadioShack founded 1921 by brothers Theodore and Milton Deutschmann
- NPR · 2017 · hedge fund Standard General, via affiliate General Wireless, owned RadioShack's remaining stores when General Wireless filed the March 2017 second bankruptcy
Still walking
Nine West Holdings
Ceased April 1, 2018 · Returned July 1, 2018 · Brand or IP revived
Nine West Holdings closed all its own US and Canadian retail stores in April 2018 after filing Chapter 11.
How it came back
Authentic Brands Group bought the Nine West and Bandolino brands for $340 million in mid-2018 and continues licensing them to other retailers.
As of the 2018 sale, Nine West and Bandolino were owned by Authentic Brands Group and licensed to other retailers; no standalone Nine West store has operated since.
- Founded
- 1977
- Cause
- Debt left at exit · with asset liquidation
Sources
- PR Newswire · sale to Authentic Brands Group, deal value
- FundingUniverse · Nine West traces to Fisher Camuto Corporation, founded 1977 by Jerome Fisher and Vincent Camuto; 15,600 employees reported in company history
- Business Law Today (American Bar Association) · Sycamore Partners' 2014 buyout of Jones Group left the surviving Nine West Holdings entity with debt-to-EBITDA of 7.8x, well above the 5.1x lenders considered s
Still walking
rue21
Ceased May 3, 2024 · Returned September 1, 2024 · Successor company
Filed its third bankruptcy in May 2024 and closed all 540-plus stores after failing to find a going-concern buyer.
How it came back
YM Inc. bought the brand and intellectual property for about $4 million and began reopening stores in late 2024; as of November 2025 it operates about 60 outlet locations plus e-commerce.
Operated today by YM Inc., which also owns Charlotte Russe.
- Founded
- 1976
- Sponsor at closure
- Blue Torch Capital
Sources
- CoStar · YM Inc. IP purchase and store reopenings
- Cleverism · rue21 traces to Pennsylvania Fashions, Inc., founded in 1976
- Bloomberg Law · rue21, majority owned by Blue Torch Capital, filed its third Chapter 11 in Delaware in May 2024 and closed all stores
- Retail Dive · rue21's roughly $1 billion debt load from Apax Partners' 2013 leveraged buyout, combined with over-eager store expansion, drove its 2017 bankruptcy and continue
Still walking
The Limited
Ceased January 1, 2017 · Returned October 20, 2017 · Brand or IP revived
Closed all of its own stores in January 2017 and filed for bankruptcy.
How it came back
Sycamore Partners bought the e-commerce business and brand for $26.8 million at auction and relaunched thelimited.com in October 2017.
As of its October 2017 relaunch, sold exclusively as a private-label brand through Belk stores and belk.com, not as an independent retailer.
- Founded
- 1963
Still walking
Gymboree
Ceased January 1, 2019 · Returned January 1, 2020 · Brand or IP revived
Gymboree Group liquidated all roughly 800 Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores after a January 2019 bankruptcy filing.
How it came back
The Children's Place bought the Gymboree and Crazy 8 intellectual property for $76 million in March 2019 and relaunched Gymboree in January 2020 as a website and in-store area within its own stores.
Operated as a brand within The Children's Place; no standalone Gymboree store exists.
- Founded
- 1976
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- CNBC · 2019 · Children's Place IP purchase
- CoStar · 2024 · January 2020 relaunch as store-in-store and website; November 2024 physical store opening confirms the brand is still active within The Children's Place
- Wikipedia · founded 1976; Bain Capital acquired Gymboree in 2010 and remained the owner through the January 2019 liquidation bankruptcy
- Kirkland & Ellis LLP · Bain Capital's 2010 leveraged buyout loaded Gymboree with approximately $1.47 billion in debt, about 70% of the acquisition cost, which drove the 2017 Chapter 1
Still walking
Payless ShoeSource
Ceased June 1, 2019 · Returned January 16, 2020 · Same company reorganized
Closed all approximately 2,300 US, Puerto Rico and Canada stores by June 2019 in the largest store-count liquidation in US retail history.
How it came back
The reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy in January 2020, dropped "ShoeSource" from its name and relaunched e-commerce and physical stores starting later that year.
At its January 2020 relaunch, ownership was a group of investors led by Alden Global Capital and Axar Capital Management, operating internationally; no more recent ownership change has been found.
- Founded
- 1956
- Cause
- Dividend recapitalization · with debt left at exit
Sources
- TODAY · liquidation, emergence from bankruptcy, relaunch
- PYMNTS · 2020 · ownership by a group led by Alden Global Capital and Axar Capital Management, as of the 2020 relaunch
- FundingUniverse · founded 1956 as Pay-Less National in Topeka, Kansas; roughly 30,000 employees in company history
- Wikipedia · 2012 buyout by Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital; company remained under that ownership through the 2017 and 2019 bankruptcies
- Reuters via Business Standard · 2017 · Golden Gate Capital and Blum Capital sued by creditors over roughly $400 million in dividend transactions that added debt onto Payless before its bankruptcy; se
Still walking
Charlotte Russe
Ceased March 1, 2019 · Returned March 1, 2019 · Successor company
Liquidated all 500-plus stores after a February 2019 Chapter 11 filing.
How it came back
YM Inc., a Toronto retailer, bought the brand and intellectual property for $6.4 million in March 2019 and has since reopened more than 135 stores plus e-commerce.
As of a November 2019 report, operated by YM Inc.
- Founded
- 1975
Sources
- Retail Dive · YM Inc. acquisition, store reopenings
- Wikipedia · founded 1975 in San Diego; Advent International bought the chain for $380 million in 2009 and controlled it through the February 2019 Chapter 11 filing
- Fortune · attributes the 2019 bankruptcy mainly to e-commerce competition; notes Charlotte Russe struck a 2018 debt-reduction deal cutting debt to $124 million before ult
Still walking
Shopko
Ceased June 23, 2019 · Returned June 23, 2019 · Part of the business continued
Shopko Stores liquidated all general-merchandise stores by June 23, 2019, after a January 2019 bankruptcy filing.
How it came back
Monarch Alternative Capital bought 80 of Shopko's in-store optical units during the bankruptcy and relaunched them as standalone Shopko Optical stores.
Shopko Optical was sold to Fielmann Group AG in 2024 and continues operating; no general-merchandise Shopko store remains.
- Founded
- 1962
- Cause
- Debt left at exit · with sale-leaseback
Sources
- Chain Store Age · Monarch spun off Shopko Optical during the 2019 liquidation; Fielmann acquisition in 2024
- Wikipedia · founded 1962 in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Sun Capital Partners owned Shopko from December 2005 through the January 2019 bankruptcy filing; 18,000 employees in 2018
- Wolf Street · Sun Capital's 2005 LBO used $1.2 billion in acquisition debt, and Sun Capital sold Shopko's real estate for $815 million in a 2006 sale-leaseback; the company i
Still walking
Remington Arms
Ceased July 27, 2020 · Returned May 1, 2021 · Successor company
Remington Outdoor Company filed Chapter 11 on July 27, 2020, and was broken up at auction, sold in pieces to seven separate buyers.
How it came back
Roundhill Group bought the firearms manufacturing assets and formed RemArms, which returned 230 employees to the Ilion, New York plant in May 2021 to resume production.
Remington ammunition is now owned by CSG's Kinetic Group, bought from Vista Outdoor in November 2024; RemArms continues firearms manufacturing separately.
- Founded
- 1816
Sources
- Bloomberg · 2020 · Chapter 11 filing date, July 27, 2020
- Fox Business · seven-buyer breakup at bankruptcy auction
- Outdoor Life · Roundhill Group formed RemArms, 230 employees returned to the Ilion plant in May 2021
- Vista Outdoor investor relations (company primary) · 2024 · CSG (Kinetic Group) acquisition of Remington Ammunition and other Vista Outdoor ammunition brands closed November 27, 2024, for $2.225 billion
- Bloomberg · Remington's 2018 Chapter 11 filing was driven by debt from the Cerberus-era leveraged buyout; Cerberus gave up its equity stake in that restructuring
- CBS News · Remington exited the 2018 bankruptcy owned by former creditors including Franklin Templeton and JPMorgan Asset Management, replacing Cerberus as controlling own
Still walking
G/O Media (Deadspin)
Ceased March 11, 2024 · Returned May 13, 2024 · Successor company
G/O Media sold Deadspin to Lineup Publishing on March 11, 2024, laid off its entire editorial staff, and the site published nothing new for about two months.
How it came back
Lineup Publishing resumed publishing on May 13, 2024, with an entirely new, previously unannounced staff.
Owned and operated by Lineup Publishing, a Malta-based media company unrelated to G/O Media.
- Founded
- 2005
Sources
- Axios · 2024 · sale to Lineup Publishing, staff layoffs, March 11 2024
- Front Office Sports · roughly two-month dark period between the March sale and the May relaunch, no staff details released in the interim
- Awful Announcing · 2024 · publishing resumed May 13, 2024, with a new staff
- Wikipedia · founded/launched in 2005 by Will Leitch; G/O Media, owned by Great Hill Partners since April 2019, sold Deadspin to Lineup Publishing in March 2024 and laid off
Still walking
Toys "R" Us
Ceased June 29, 2018 · Returned March 15, 2021 · Successor company
Liquidated all US, UK and Australian stores in 2018 after a 2017 Chapter 11 filing.
How it came back
A new entity, Tru Kids Brands, bought the intellectual property in 2019; brand manager WHP Global took a controlling stake in 2021 and has reopened stores since 2022, including shop-in-shops inside Macy's.
As of WHP Global's March 2021 controlling stake and the Macy's shop-in-shop rollout that followed, operated by WHP Global through Tru Kids Inc., a company distinct from the original retailer.
- Founded
- 1948
- Cause
- Debt left at exit
Sources
- CNBC · 2021 · WHP Global acquisition of Tru Kids, plans to reopen stores
- Money Digest · 2018 liquidation, 2019 Tru Kids Brands formation
- Wikipedia · founded April 1948 as Children's Supermart; KKR, Bain Capital and Vornado Realty Trust conducted a $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in March 2005
- SEC (Toys R Us Inc. 10-K, company primary) · approximately 71,000 full-time and part-time employees worldwide as of the fiscal year ended January 29, 2011
- Bloomberg · KKR, Bain Capital and Vornado still held their original equity stakes and were wiped out at the September 2017 Chapter 11 filing, confirming they remained the c
- Private Equity Stakeholder Project · the 2005 LBO loaded Toys R Us with over $5 billion in debt, requiring about $400 million a year in debt service that starved investment in stores and e-commerce
Each record cites its sources on the bill.