Womenswear retailer Coldwater Creek shuts down operations

New York - The week of July, 20. The retailer stated on its website that “It’s time to say goodbye.” “Every brand has a story and ours has taken an unexpected turn. “We may be saying goodbye before too long so we’re taking 70 percent off everything. Thanks for being part of our family & history,” they said. A week later, they seem to have made the decision to shut down operations, at least for the foreseeable future.

They argue COVID-19 have led them down a path they didn’t expect, confirming both their physical stores and their e-commerce are closed and that they aren’t able to take orders, marking the end of a 3-decade story.

Founded in 1984 as a catalog retailer, Coldwater Creek went then physical with stores across the United States. In 2014, the womenswear retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They got acquired by private equity group Sycamore Partners, which relaunched the business as a direct-to-consumer brand and taking it back to physical stores in 2017.

As of July, 20, Coldwater Creek’s 13 stores were closed, following the shutdowns driven by the coronavirus pandemic.