Mahwah-Based Ascena Will Shutter All NJ Justice Locations

MAHWAH, NJ — Tween clothing brand Justice will shut down all locations, including eight stores in New Jersey, by "early 2021." The announcement was made Wednesday by parent company Ascena Retail Group, which is based in Mahwah.

Justice has eight locations across New Jersey — Bridgewater, Cherry Hill, Deptford, Edison, Elizabeth, Freehold, Paramus and Wayne.

When the stores will officially close for good is not yet known, but Justice will remain open through the holiday season.

This isn't the first downward sign for the company, which had filed for chapter 11 Bankruptcy in July. The brand announced at the time that more than 600 Justice stores across the country would close.

Read More: Mahwah-Based Ascena, Owner Of Ann Taylor, Files For Bankruptcy

Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said at the time that the months prior to the July announcement had negatively impacted "meaningful progress" which was being made to get the company back on track financially.

Justice Brand Holdings, an entity formed by Bluestar Alliance, will acquire the Justice brand's intellectual property, as well as certain assets and liabilities, for about $90 million, the statement said.

"The conclusion of the sale process for our Justice brand is a significant step forward in our efforts to complete our restructuring process and maximize value for all our stakeholders," Gary Muto, Chief Executive Officer of Ascena said in a statement

"The optimization of our portfolio better positions Ascena for long-term success and supports our vision for the future. As we seamlessly transition ownership of Justice over the coming weeks, we remain committed to delivering meaningful experiences for our customers every day," he said.

In July, the company said most of their brand portfolio would stay intact, excluding a sale of the Catherines brand to City Chic Collective Limited. Similar to now, the company announced the sale at the same time they said all Catherines stores would close.

Ascena joins a growing list of retailers to file for bankruptcy amid the coronavirus pandemic, including J.C. Penney, J. Crew, Brooks Brothers and Neiman Marcus.

In March, the company announced that all store associates were furloughed, and temporary salary reductions were instituted for corporate associates.

"The meaningful progress we have made driving sustainable growth, improving our operating margins and strengthening our financial foundation has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Interim Executive Chair Carrie Teffner, in July.

Tiffner's salary, as well as Muto's, were reduced by 50 percent.

However, the Washington Post reports, the Chapter 11 filing came just weeks after the company said it would give upwards of $5.5 million to top executives in retention pay and bonuses.