UWS L'Occitane Closes Amid Bankruptcy After 30 Years Of Service

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side recently lost another retail store, as the body, face, fragrance, and home retailer L'Occintane shuttered its Columbus location over the past week.

L'Occitane on Columbus Avenue and 69th Street had occupied the space for 31 years, becoming a staple of the neighborhood and earning a cameo in the 1998 film "You've Got Mail."

The L'Occitane at 75th and Broadway also looks to be closing soon. The store was shuttered over the weekend with no inventory in the retailer and a sign on the store window directing customers to its Columbus Circle location.

The closings come days after L'Occitane filed for bankruptcy.

L'Occtitane mentioned in the filings a 56 percent decrease in revenue from April to December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that landlords have been reluctant to negotiate new leases given the current circumstances.

L'Occitane management intends to "reject certain leases in order to right-size its brick-and-mortar footprint to better position itself for long-term success," according to the filing.

The Columbus location was one of these leases rejected and it looks like the Broadway lease isn't far behind.

Additionally, the L'Occitane on Broadway was sued for back rent in December by its landlord. The lawsuit claimed that pay its $62,000 per month rent between April and December.

While the Upper West Side looks like it's losing two L'Occitane locations, at least one will remain within the Shops at Columbus Circle.