- Avenue announced on Wednesday that it will shutter all 222 of its remaining stores in 33 states amid slumping sales and low foot traffic.
- Locations of the plus-size women’s apparel chain join a list of more than 8,000 store closures that have been announced so far in 2019.
- We visited the Avenue store at Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn, New York, where extensive store-wide sales were already underway.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Avenue is joining the ever-growing list of retailers that are closing their doors for good.
The plus-size women’s retailer announced on Wednesday that it will shutter its remaining 222 stores across 33 states. The demise of Avenue had been hinted at earlier this month, when The New York Post reported that owner Versa Capital would call it quits unless it found a buyer in 60 days. At the time, employees were notified in a staff meeting and told they would not receive severance if Avenue went under, according to the Post.
Read more: Plus-size clothing chain Avenue is closing all 222 locations. Here’s the full list.
All items – including apparel, accessories, and footwear, as well as store fixtures – will be available for 30-50% off as the company begins the process of liquidating its inventory.
"Given the popularity of the brand and the seasonal trends, merchandise is sure to sell out quickly. We are encouraging consumers to shop early and take advantage of these offers," Avenue wrote in a press release.
Avenue is facing the same uphill battle as many of its retail peers, which are trying to stay afloat amid waning sales and consumer demand shifting toward e-commerce and direct-to-consumer brands. Additionally, Avenue has faced increased competition from the rise of trendy plus-size competitors like Eloquii, as well as from mainstays like Torrid.
We visited the Avenue store at the Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn, New York - one of the few remaining locations in the greater New York City area - and saw why it's struggling.
When we got to the Avenue store, there were already signs for the sale posted in the windows.
The bright red and yellow signs were ubiquitous, and the sales associates heavily promoted the discounts as soon as we walked in.
The store was nearly empty at around 11 a.m. on a Thursday morning.
It was also brimming with seemingly untouched inventory.
Around the store, there were racks upon racks of clothing in unoriginal styles.
As we walked toward the back of the store, we saw tables piled with discounted accessories. Around the register we spotted several signs notifying shoppers that all sales would be final.
The store had a robust lingerie section, where everything was marked as 30% off.
Handbags and shoes were also going for 30% off.
Possibly the most unique item we found was this high-tech wallet with a built-in charger, but there was only one left.
There were charts like this one around the store, with a list of common prices along with their discounted rates.
The eye-grabbing sale signs came in many varieties, including this tag that was affixed to select items.
The sale will continue in the coming weeks as Avenue continues along in the liquidation process.
