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Forever 21 closing stores this week: Update on list of doomed locations as ‘sale termination date’ passes
The past 12 months have been rough for many retail chains. Major names like Big Lots and Joann filed for bankruptcy, resulting in the closures of hundreds of locations. In Joann’s case, those locations are gone for good, while some Big Lots locations have been reopened under new ownership. Unfortunately for another retailer—the fast fashion chain Forever 21—it seems like none of its more than 350 stores in the United States will get a last-minute reprieve. Instead, it now appears likely that all Forever 21 stores in the U.S. will suffer the same fate as Joann’s stores. Here’s what you need to know about the Forever 21 store closings. What’s happened? Earlier this year, a company called F21 OpCo, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While you may not have heard of F21 OpCo, LLC, you’ve surely heard of the retailer it operates: Forever 21. F21 OpCo is the licensee of the Forever 21 brand inside the United States (international stores are operated by other entities). As part of its bankruptcy, F21 OpCo announced it would close its Forever 21 locations in the United States unless a buyer could be found. In a memo from F21 OpCo, LLC’s chief financial officer, Brad Sell, posted on the company’s website, Sell said the reasons for the company’s bankruptcy were “rising costs and increased competition from abroad” that has made the company’s “current business model unsustainable.” In a March press release announcing the bankruptcy, F21 OpCo also stated that while it was beginning wind-down procedures for its stores, it would at the same time continue to try to find a buyer. “In the event of a successful sale, the Company may pivot away from a full wind down of operations to facilitate a going-concern transaction,” it said at the time. In other words, Forever 21 could live on if another entity bought F21 OpCo’s operations. But it has not announced a new buyer since then, nor has it responded to requests for comment. More than 350 Forever 21 store closings Throughout April, F21 OpCo held store closing sales at all of its 356 Forever 21 stores in the United States. According to court documents, those sales would “conclude no later than April 30, 2025,” which the documents refer to as the “sale termination date.” That means that as of today, May 1, all Forever 21 stores in the United States are likely to have closed, although individual stores did have the option to extend the sales and stay open for longer. Fast Company reached out to F21 OpCo and Forever 21 for clarity on whether any U.S locations would continue to operate beyond this week, but we did not hear back. The only thing that could have kept any of these stores from shuttering was if F21 OpCo found a buyer, but the company has made no public announcement that it has done so. List of Forever 21 store closings According to its store locator tool, F21 OpCo operated 356 Forever 21 stores across 43 states and Puerto Rico. The states that had the most Forever 21 stores were California, with 57 locations, Texas, with 32 locations, and Florida, with 23 locations. The number of locations in each state is listed below. You can click on a state’s name to be taken to F21 OpCo’s online store locator tool to see each of the individual stores in those states. Currently, the listing for individual stores does not list any of the locations as permanently closed (although recent user reviews on Google and elsewhere have indicated that many have shuttered). Unless F21 OpCo found a last-minute buyer, or unless certain individual stores agreed to extend their sales, it is likely the below locations are now shuttered for good or soon will be. Alabama (3) Arizona (8) Arkansas (2) California (57) Colorado (5) Connecticut (6) Delaware (2) Florida (23) Georgia (18) Idaho (1) Illinois (15) Indiana (6) Iowa (2) Kansas (2) Kentucky (3) Louisiana (6) Maryland (6) Massachusetts (11) Michigan (9) Minnesota (1) Mississippi (1) Missouri (5) Nebraska (1) Nevada (6) New Hampshire (3) New Jersey (15) New Mexico (3) New York (21) North Carolina (10) North Dakota (1) Ohio (9) Oklahoma (2) Oregon (5) Pennsylvania (17) Puerto Rico (5) Rhode Island (1) South Carolina (3) South Dakota (1) Tennessee (6) Texas (32) Utah (3) Virginia (9) Washington (9) Wisconsin (2) Is Forever 21 closing globally? No. It’s important to note that the Forever 21 brand is not going away entirely. The Forever 21 chain will continue to operate in other countries. That’s because Forever 21 is licensed by other operators in those countries and not by F21 OpCo, LLC. In the memo posted on the Forever 21 website, F21 OpCo’s Brad Sell noted that “Forever 21 stores outside of the U.S. will continue to operate business as usual.” But unfortunately for its U.S.-based fans, Forever 21 is yet another American retailer t
The past 12 months have been rough for many retail chains. Major names like Big Lots and Joann filed for bankruptcy, resulting in the closures of hundreds of locations. In Joann’s case, those locations are gone for good, while some Big Lots locations have been reopened under new ownership.
Unfortunately for another retailer—the fast fashion chain Forever 21—it seems like none of its more than 350 stores in the United States will get a last-minute reprieve. Instead, it now appears likely that all Forever 21 stores in the U.S. will suffer the same fate as Joann’s stores. Here’s what you need to know about the Forever 21 store closings.
What’s happened?
Earlier this year, a company called F21 OpCo, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While you may not have heard of F21 OpCo, LLC, you’ve surely heard of the retailer it operates: Forever 21.
F21 OpCo is the licensee of the Forever 21 brand inside the United States (international stores are operated by other entities). As part of its bankruptcy, F21 OpCo announced it would close its Forever 21 locations in the United States unless a buyer could be found.
In a memo from F21 OpCo, LLC’s chief financial officer, Brad Sell, posted on the company’s website, Sell said the reasons for the company’s bankruptcy were “rising costs and increased competition from abroad” that has made the company’s “current business model unsustainable.”
In a March press release announcing the bankruptcy, F21 OpCo also stated that while it was beginning wind-down procedures for its stores, it would at the same time continue to try to find a buyer. “In the event of a successful sale, the Company may pivot away from a full wind down of operations to facilitate a going-concern transaction,” it said at the time.
In other words, Forever 21 could live on if another entity bought F21 OpCo’s operations. But it has not announced a new buyer since then, nor has it responded to requests for comment.
More than 350 Forever 21 store closings
Throughout April, F21 OpCo held store closing sales at all of its 356 Forever 21 stores in the United States. According to court documents, those sales would “conclude no later than April 30, 2025,” which the documents refer to as the “sale termination date.”
That means that as of today, May 1, all Forever 21 stores in the United States are likely to have closed, although individual stores did have the option to extend the sales and stay open for longer.
Fast Company reached out to F21 OpCo and Forever 21 for clarity on whether any U.S locations would continue to operate beyond this week, but we did not hear back.
The only thing that could have kept any of these stores from shuttering was if F21 OpCo found a buyer, but the company has made no public announcement that it has done so.
List of Forever 21 store closings
According to its store locator tool, F21 OpCo operated 356 Forever 21 stores across 43 states and Puerto Rico.
The states that had the most Forever 21 stores were California, with 57 locations, Texas, with 32 locations, and Florida, with 23 locations.
The number of locations in each state is listed below. You can click on a state’s name to be taken to F21 OpCo’s online store locator tool to see each of the individual stores in those states.
Currently, the listing for individual stores does not list any of the locations as permanently closed (although recent user reviews on Google and elsewhere have indicated that many have shuttered).
Unless F21 OpCo found a last-minute buyer, or unless certain individual stores agreed to extend their sales, it is likely the below locations are now shuttered for good or soon will be.
- Alabama (3)
- Arizona (8)
- Arkansas (2)
- California (57)
- Colorado (5)
- Connecticut (6)
- Delaware (2)
- Florida (23)
- Georgia (18)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (15)
- Indiana (6)
- Iowa (2)
- Kansas (2)
- Kentucky (3)
- Louisiana (6)
- Maryland (6)
- Massachusetts (11)
- Michigan (9)
- Minnesota (1)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (5)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (6)
- New Hampshire (3)
- New Jersey (15)
- New Mexico (3)
- New York (21)
- North Carolina (10)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (9)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (5)
- Pennsylvania (17)
- Puerto Rico (5)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (3)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (6)
- Texas (32)
- Utah (3)
- Virginia (9)
- Washington (9)
- Wisconsin (2)
Is Forever 21 closing globally?
No. It’s important to note that the Forever 21 brand is not going away entirely. The Forever 21 chain will continue to operate in other countries. That’s because Forever 21 is licensed by other operators in those countries and not by F21 OpCo, LLC.
In the memo posted on the Forever 21 website, F21 OpCo’s Brad Sell noted that “Forever 21 stores outside of the U.S. will continue to operate business as usual.”
But unfortunately for its U.S.-based fans, Forever 21 is yet another American retailer that has succumbed to changing consumer habits and a shifting economic landscape.
