Shoppers Mourn Lord & Taylor Closing, Including Westfield Store

WESTFIELD, NJ — Lord & Taylor will eventually close all 38 of its stores after its parent company Le Tote Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 2, a press release said on Thursday. The store in Westfield began its store closing sale Wednesday, and a representative said items are 20 percent off.

Many shoppers expressed sadness on social media as the nearly 200-year-old chain made the announcement.

And in Westfield, N.J., which has its own store, one "loyal and sad customer," Lenore Grubman, wrote to say: "Westfield L & T is the best place to shop. The sales staff were amazing as well as the girls and men that were in the fragrance department. The quality of the clothing was amazing; you have GREAT designers, Taylor's and Rudy, in the shoe department and many more. This pandemic did so much to all of us but this was the most distressing for me because I was there so much."

She noted, "I would tell my husband that 'I'm going to church.” He believed that for a while until he noticed all the shopping bags. This store will be sorely missed! I wish we could do something to save it. If you think of anything, count me in."

The town of Westfield, which has been gearing up for this possibility after the stores were sold to the parent company last year, has been in talks to redevelop the location on North Avenue and two adjacent parking lots. (READ MORE: Westfield Mayor Addresses Future Of Lord & Taylor Site.)

A representative at the Westfield location, reached by phone, said that the store will maintain its regular hours for now, and may not close until after the holidays.

On its website, the Westfield store said, "Effective 8/26/20 this location is no longer accepting returns or exchanges from other Lord + Taylor locations. Any items purchased at this location during our store closing sale (starting 8/26) are final sale. We can no longer honor coupons, mall certificates, Lord & Taylor Reward/Award Cards or prices offered at other Lord & Taylor locations. Additionally, starting 9/25/20, we will not accept online returns at this location."

The company's chief restructuring officer, Ed Kremer, said in a release, "While we are still entertaining various opportunities, we believe it is prudent to simultaneously put the remainder of the stores into liquidation to maximize value of inventory for the estate while pursuing options for the company's brands."

He noted, "I am extraordinarily proud of the continued efforts of our store and corporate team members as they have worked tirelessly over the past several months, under unprecedented conditions, to preserve this historic brand."

Lord & Taylor evoked fond memories from shoppers on Twitter on Thursday.

One woman wrote, "Weird sense of nostalgia and sadness on this one. Lord & Taylor was a big part of my life growing up. To this day, I think it's my mom's favorite store. I got my makeup done there for every high school dance."

The Lord + Taylor Store Directory will continually be updated with store status and current hours of operation, https://locations.lordandtaylor.com

Besides Westfield, Lord & Taylor has the following New Jersey locations:

• Bridgewater Commons
• Garden State Plaza
• The Fashion Center
• Quakerbridge Mall
• Willowbrook Mall
• Rockaway Townsquare
• Freehold Raceway Mall
• Livingston Mall

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