Retailer Bebe will close all of its stores by the end of May, according to a regulatory filing Friday.
The Brisbane-based chain had 168 retail and outlet stores as of March, including Orange County locations in Brea, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach and Santa Ana.
Bebe has hired consultants to help sell off the merchandise in the company’s stores.
In April, Bebe announced plans to lay off roughly 700 employees in California, effective May 27.
The company planned to close its stores and focus on online sales, according to Bloomberg. Friday’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission did not mention online sales.
The company did not immediately return requests for comment.
Changes in retail
Retailers have struggled with changing consumer habits — a shift to online shopping and fewer visits to the mall.
Earlier this month bankrupt Payless ShoeSource announced it would close at least 400 stores in the U.S., including eight in Orange County.
In March, RadioShack announced plans to close 552 stores, including two in Orange County.
Irvine-based Wet Seal filed for bankruptcy protection in February for the second time in a handful of years.
The teen retailer was founded by Lorne Huycke in Newport Beach in 1962. It had 171 stores, all of which are closing. Its intellectual property was bought for $3 million by Boston-based investment firm Gordon Brothers Brands.
Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear of California’s reorganization plan was approved in September. PacSun gave its stock to affiliates of private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, its senior lender.
Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2015. In October of that year, the company received court approval for a $175 million financing package with Oaktree Capital Management, which now holds a controlling interest in the company.
Aeropostale Inc. filed for bankruptcy in May. A group of buyers led by mall operators Simon Property Group Inc. and General Growth Properties Inc. announced in 2016 they would keep at least 229 of Aeropostale’s locations open. There were approximately 800 Aeropostale stores before it filed for bankruptcy protection.
Earlier this year The Limited filed for bankruptcy after closing down its 250 stores and shuttering its website. The company entered into an asset purchase agreement with an affiliate of private equity company Sycamore Partners. Sycamore will acquire the company’s assets and intellectual property.
American Apparel has started mass layoffs as it shutters stores. The brand filed for bankruptcy twice in just over a year. Canadian clothing manufacturer Gildan Activewear is buying the company for $88 million.
