Major Clothing Retailer Closing ALL Stores Including 9 in Iowa

It's been a tough few months for many national retailers. With the economy unpredictable, and some businesses still feeling the effects of the 2020 COVID pandemic, we're starting to see more and more retailers close some or even all of their stores.

Rue21 is closing down

Rue21, the popular store known for selling teen apparel founded in 1970 as Pennsylvania Fashions Inc., adopted the name Rue21 in the very late 1980s. During their rocky tenure as Rue21, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three times and will now shutter all 541 stores within the next two months, including nine in Iowa.

The company, headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, cited recent issues like the COVID pandemic and a major shift in shopping patterns as the reason for their most recent, and ultimately final bankruptcy.

Rue21 in Ames via Google Maps

Rue21 has previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and 2017. The closing the the 541 stores will cost an estimated 4,900 jobs.

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Rue21 has 9 Iowa locations

The Iowa locations closing include several in Eastern Iowa. The nine locations are:

While we see store closures and bankruptcies all the time, it's certainly never an easy thing for the people who are losing their jobs as a result. With more and more online options from popular retailers, do you foresee more closures? It's hard to imagine a world without any retail stores, other than maybe the giants like Wal-Mart and Target, but it does seem more and more Americans are shopping online.

If you find yourself looking for work, here in Iowa we have some great, well-paying options! Check 'em out: