Eddie Bauer stores across North America are set to close after the company’s operator failed to secure a buyer during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process. Eddie Bauer LLC, which runs the brand’s stores under a licensing agreement, did not receive any qualified bids by a March 3 deadline, according to a court filing in New Jersey.
A planned auction scheduled for March 6 was subsequently cancelled. The Seattle-based clothing retailer filed for bankruptcy on February 9, citing declining sales, supply chain challenges, and other financial pressures. The filing was made by Eddie Bauer LLC, a division of Catalyst Brands, which operates around 180 stores in the US and Canada.
With no buyer, the company will continue store-closing sales at all locations “unless and until a more value-maximizing transaction becomes available,” the court filing stated. This marks the third bankruptcy for Eddie Bauer, following earlier filings in 2003 and 2009, deepening the decline of a once-iconic brand that began as a small Seattle fishing shop in 1920 and grew to nearly 600 stores by 2001.
Customers have until March 12 to use remaining gift cards and Adventure Points, after which they will lose their value. All purchases are final with no returns accepted. However, the Eddie Bauer brand itself is not disappearing entirely; its online, manufacturing, wholesale operations, and stores outside the US and Canada remain untouched. The brand’s intellectual property is owned by Authentic Brands Group, which plans to focus on technical innovation and digital growth.
