Going-out-of-business sales are in full swing at Delia’s, the once-beloved teen retailer that recently became the latest mall store to succumb to bankruptcy.
Shoppers hoping to snatch up one last round of tees, sweaters or denim shouldn’t wait too long. Sales are expected to run until mid-April, but gift cards will only be accepted for about another month.
A representative for a liquidation company that’s clearing out Delia’s stores tells Bankruptcy Beat that gift cards, merchandise credit and loyalty programs will be honored until Jan. 23. After that, those stocking stuffers will become about as a valuable as a piece of coal.
Delia’s filed for Chapter 11 protection earlier this month after failing to find a buyer willing to keep the 21-year-old chain alive. Started as a catalog business, Delia’s now has 92 stores in 29 states.
Odes to Delia’s—mainly from nostalgic children of the ’90s—cropped up around the Internet as news of the company’s troubles first surfaced.
Teen retailers have failed to meet expectations across the industry this year. Deb Shops also filed for bankruptcy recently with plans to liquidate. Once-popular mall stores Aeropostale Inc. and Abercrombie & Fitch both reported disappointing third-quarter results, and other teen stores including Wet Seal are said to be looking for a way out of financial distress.
Write to Sara Randazzo at sara.randazzo@wsj.com. Follow her on Twitter at @sara_randazzo
