PROVIDENCE – Fashion retailer Express Inc. is closing retail stores at the Dartmouth and Warwick malls as the company seeks Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The Dartmouth Mall store is one of three Massachusetts locations, along with the stores on Newbury Street in Boston and South Bay Center in Dorchester, that the company is closing, according to its bankruptcy filing.
In an announcement addressing its bankruptcy filing, Express said it plans to close 95 of its Express retail stores and all 10 of its UpWest stores.
Closing sales at locations being shut down, which span more than 30 states and Washington, D.C., began Tuesday. Beyond these closures, Express said it expects to conduct business as usual.
Rhode Island’s other Express location in Providence was not selected for closure.
Express also announced that it received a nonbinding letter of intent from a group led by consumer brand acquisition and management firm WHP Global to potentially purchase the majority of its stores and operations. Express said that it filed for Chapter 11 protection "to facilitate the sale process."
The consortium exploring the deal also includes mall operators Simon Property Group and Brookfield Properties, Express said. WHP, Simon Property and Brookfield – the parent company of the Providence Place mall owner – did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.
Express CEO Stewart Glendinning said WHP "has been a strong partner" of the company's since 2023 – adding that the proposed transaction would give Express additional financial resources and put it in a better position to grow profitably while maximizing value for stakeholders.
Beyond its UpWest storefronts, the company operates about 530 Express retail and Express Factory Outlet stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, in addition to roughly 60 Bonobos Guideshop locations, as well as online operations for these brands, according to Express' website.
Express reported nearly $1.2 billion in total debts and $1.3 billion in total assets as of March 2 in its Chapter 11 petition, which was filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
The company first started as a women's fashion purveyor and then branched out to men's wear. It offered trendy items, such as denim dresses, at affordable prices.
But increasing competition from fast-fashion players such as H&M, as well as the rise of Old Navy and athleisure brands like Lululemon, all hurt the brand's sales, said Neil Saunders, a managing director with research firm GlobalData. Saunders also noted that the brand was beset by quality issues, and the pandemic sped up the trend of people working from home, lessening the need for shoppers to buy work outfits.
"Everyone has been nibbling at Express from all sides, and Express doesn't have a defensible proposition," Saunders said.
Express joins a handful of retailers filing for Chapter 11 so far this year, including fabrics and craft retailer Joann. And analysts expect the pace of bankruptcy filings this year to be around the same level — close to 24 — as last year, as shoppers hobbled by high consumer debt remain cautious, according to accounting and advisory firm BDO, which tracks retail bankruptcies.
In 2022, only five retailers filed for bankruptcy protection, according to BDO. The number appeared to indicate a recovery from the pandemic-induced store closures that pushed struggling companies over the edge in 2020, when retail bankruptcies spiked to 35 from 21 the year before, BDO said.
Express said Monday that it has a commitment for $35 million in new financing, which is subject to court approval, from some existing lenders. That would add to the $49 million in cash that it obtained earlier this month from the Internal Revenue Service related to the pandemic-era CARES Act.
Express also announced a leadership update on Monday. Mark Still will become chief financial officer, effective immediately, after serving as interim CFO since November 2023, the company said.
(Correction: An earlier version of this story did not mention that the store at Warwick Mall store is among 95 Express locations being closed.)
(Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.)
