Business & Tech

Bebe Closing Tampa Bay Area Stores By End Of May

Bebe clothing stores for young women are expected to shutter across the country by the end of May.

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area shoppers who love the clothing at Bebe will want to visit soon. The national retail chain, which caters to young women, is expected to close all of its stores by the end of May, according to documents the company filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Brisbane, California-based Bebe Stores Inc. has 180 locations in the U.S. and Canada, including four in the Tampa Bay area.

Earlier in the month, the chain filed paperwork noting it planned to close only 21 stores, which represented roughly 12 percent of its total outlets. CNBC reports Bebe was trying to re-organize and considering a move to online-only sales. Net sales at Bebe fell 13.5 percent in the first six months of its current fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31. It recorded a net loss of $13 million over that same period.

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Bebe has not commented on the closure and there was no mention of it on the company's website Friday morning.

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The company’s Tampa Bay area shops are located at:

  • West Shore Plaza, 226 W. Shore Plaza, Tampa
  • International Plaza, 2223 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa
  • Westfield Brandon, 904 Brandon Town Center Mall, Tampa
  • University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota

Find a list of all Bebe stores here.

In its SEC filing the company said it will pay a consultant $500,000 to sell the chain's inventory, and it will pay an impairment charge of about $20 million, net of deferred rent and other credits, by closing the stores. This impairment charge will be recorded in the third and fourth quarters of this year, according to the SEC filing.

News of Bebe's closing comes on the heels of several other similar announcements from retailers. Just last week, Rue 21 announced its plans to close three locations in the Tampa region as part of an overall shuttering of 400 stores. Earlier this year, Macy’s announced the closing of 68 stores, including several in the Tampa Bay area.

Patch’s Deb Belt contributed to this story.

Image via Shutterstock


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