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Eddie Bauer, venerable outdoor apparel retailer, declares bankruptcy

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eddie-bauer-bankrupt-outdoor-apparel/
47•mgh2•2h ago

Comments

ramesh31•1h ago
Just private equity doing what they do. It will live on as a zombie brand for cheap crap into eternity.
notatoad•1h ago
i think calling this another victim of PE is missing the point a little bit. i guess Catalyst Brands is technically PE, but they're not just a finance company treating these brands as assets to be milked and stripped for parts before they're killed.

Catalyst is a joint venture of Brookfield and Simon Property, both of which are shopping mall companies. Their other brands are all shopping mall fixtures. The story here isn't private equity doing the normal private equity thing, it's that shopping malls are dying.

basch•1h ago
>Its e-commerce and wholesale operations are not affected by the filing because they are operated separately.

>The bankruptcy doesn't affect Eddie Bauer stores in markets outside the U.S. and Canada.

So its physical US locations declared bankruptcy.

bell-cot•1h ago
One data point - in my local Simon Property shopping mall, the Eddie Bauer store closed down a few months ago. A new LL Bean store is "coming soon".

In retail, a certain rate of chain/brand churn is what you'd expect. If the public feels that some chain or brand is iconic, or has been around forever - that does not magically protect the underlying corporation from missing the boat on marketplace changes, or having its management go downhill, or the founder selling out to PE, or whatever.

A_D_E_P_T•34m ago
> The story here isn't private equity doing the normal private equity thing, it's that shopping malls are dying.

That's true, but to me the more interesting question is: Why?

In Europe and Asia, indoor shopping malls are thriving. They're all over the place, and very popular. This place is a stone's throw from where I live, and it's always crowded: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_City_Seiersberg

When I go to the US, indoor malls are either depressing ghost towns, or they're luxury-only complexes with a heavy security presence and a seemingly-intentional lack of amenities. (Like a Starbucks that only has three tables despite ample interior space, nowhere else to eat, etc.)

What's driving the weird variance in shopping patterns? Naively, I'd expect shopping malls to be more popular in the US, as Asia and Europe also tend to have "shopping districts" inside their (usually walkable) towns that often function, effectively, as open-air malls.

medion•1h ago
Or re-surfaced down the track as some kind of heritage outdoor brand.
ratrocket•1h ago
I'm not positive, but I think they've already run that playbook once or twice. They are IN the cycle.
qrush•1h ago
Where else will finance bros get quarter zips from??
xnx•1h ago
Fratagonia?
0_____0•24m ago
They don't allow embroidered company logos unless you're a B-corp or a non-profit, IIRC. If you see someone wearing tech swag with logos on Patagonia, it's either old gear or someone in their company is a major asshole.
leetrout•23m ago
It's Patagucci, thank you.
darth_avocado•1h ago
Finance bros moving on to Patagonia is probably the reason they’re filing for bankruptcy
jancsika•18m ago
Patagonia stopped doing custom logos on those pieces a few years back:

https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-no-longer-adding-c...

I'm not sure if that put a dent in the finance bros' style. Finance bros can of course still buy a bunch of the vests and have a third party do the custom logo for them.

xnx•1h ago
It amazing that even 25 years after mainstream ecommerce that we're still seeing the effects work their way through retail. Good reminder for anticipating how and when other majorly disruptive technologies like autonomous vehicles and AI will have impact.
darth_avocado•1h ago
Chapter 11 seems to be like a fashion trend these days. Everyone is doing it, sometimes multiple times in a very short time. It’s nothing more than accounting tool to restructure debt while being able to operate the company. Not saying it’s a good thing, but it isn’t as serious as it once used to be.
slfnflctd•1h ago
You know, I'm past middle age, have seen this brand everywhere for many years, and I only just now read about the individual Eddie Bauer for the first time. Interesting dude.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Bauer_(outdoorsman)

criddell•1h ago
On some podcast I was listening to one of the hosts described her father as an avid indoorsman. I thought that was great and am happy to have a new way to describe myself. :)
havblue•1h ago
I remember back in high school, everyone would have an Eddie Bauer backpack except the random person with a Jansport. People would always insist on how you had to take advantage of the quality guarantee:

"You have a bent zipper and a small tear after lugging your books for years? Great! Take it to the store and argue with them that it's defective until they give you a new backpack!"

madcaptenor•51m ago
LL Bean used to have a similar return policy but people started abusing it; now you only have a year.
ghaff•17m ago
A number of outdoor sports retailers that used to have no-questions-asked return policies and internal repair departments have dropped them. I have known people who basically had a practice of indefinitely returning worn out clothing for replacement. I did return a jacket to Patagonia a number of years back and they gave me a decent credit but, in my defense it had basically completely delaminated.
criddell•6m ago
When LL Bean ended their lifetime return policy, their CEO wrote this:

> Increasingly, a small, but growing number of customers has been interpreting our guarantee well beyond its original intent. Some view it as a lifetime product replacement program, expecting refunds for heavily worn products used over many years. Others seek refunds for products that have been purchased through third parties, such as at yard sales.

People were buying old items on eBay and returning them to the store to get a brand new item.

bitwize•39m ago
I still main a Jansport backpack for taking my laptop in. It has minor wear and tear but works great after >10 years.
headsupernova•26m ago
I'll miss their medium-tall size if they're truly gone! Kind of the holy grail for tall skinny people. Anyone have recommendations of brands with similar fits?
xzez•9m ago
I'm the same size. They still have tall variant tops but tall bottoms/pants seem to have been gone for a while now.
Wistar•5m ago
I was an Eddie Bauer XLT guy for years until they suddenly made them way too skinny. Best fitting shirts ever. I am wearing one of the old ones right now. Land's End Tall sizing is a good fit although some of their fabric quality is a bit iffy—especially the colorfastness of their dyes. I have had two of six shirts be unable to endure professional stain spot removal by a dry cleaner. The greens and grays seem to be the most fragile.

I have always meant to take one of the few remaining right-fitting Eddie Bauer shirts to a tailor to see if they can be used as a pattern to make more shirts.

khimaros•9m ago
what will we keep our ready power tucked in our vests under now?

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