Day: November 22, 2025

• The retail sector has had a tough run this year, and business bankruptcies have been on the rise.
• Some companies have dissolved while others have negotiated a solution — or a buyer.
• Here are some of the more notable retail bankruptcy cases that took place in 2025.

This year has been a rough one for retailers.

Business bankruptcies across the country have been on the rise in recent years, according to an analysis from the Administrative Office of the US Courts, and 2025 has seen several prominent retail brands involved.

Some retail brands started the year already engaged in the bankruptcy process, while others filed for protection as the months went by.

Among them, several have found themselves in bankruptcy for the second time in just a few years, and a few have managed to find buyers interested in keeping their brands alive through an acquisition.

Here is a roundup of 14 of the more notable retail bankruptcy cases that unfolded in 2025.

At Home — filed in June, exited in October

Texas-based housewares chain At Home filed for Chapter 11 protection in June and emerged in October with a new ownership agreement among a group of its lenders.

JoAnn Fabric — filed in January, closed in May

Arts and crafts retailer JoAnn filed in January for its second Chapter 11 status in less than a year, and wound down its stores over the next several months.

Party City — filed in December, closed in February

Just over a year after exiting bankruptcy in October of 2023, Party City again filed for Chapter 11 protection in December 2024. The company spent the early months of 2025 closing corporate-owned stores.

Forever 21 (US) — filed in March, closed in May

Citing pressure from fast-fashion e-commerce brands like Shein and Temu, shopping mall favorite Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 protection in March and shuttered its US locations the following month.

Rite Aid — filed in May, closed in October

Pharmacy chain Rite Aid filed for its second bankruptcy just eight months after exiting its first. The company sold most locations to rivals like CVS and Walgreens and closed its remaining stores in October.

Bargain Hunt — filed in February, closed in February

Ultra-discounter Bargain Hunt filed for Chapter 11 in February and moved quickly to close all 92 US locations.

The Container Store — filed in December, emerged in January

Organizing specialists The Container Store filed for Chapter 11 protection in late December 2024 and emerged weeks later with a lighter debt load and private ownership.

Hooters — filed in March, emerged in November

Chicken-wing and skimpy-uniform restaurant chain Hooters filed for Chapter 11 protection in March and emerged several months later under a deal with the company’s original founders to “re-Hooterize” the brand.

Candy Warehouse — filed in October, case ongoing

Online bulk candy retailer Candy Warehouse filed for Chapter 11 protection in October on the eve of one of the biggest sweets-purchasing holidays of the year.

Del Monte — filed in July, case ongoing

Grocery store staple Del Monte Foods filed for Chapter 11 protection in July as it seeks to restructure its business. The company said it secured $912.5 million in financing from existing lenders, which allows it to remain in business while it looks for a buyer.

Bar Louie — filed in March, purchased in October

Martini and burger chain Bar Louie filed for Chapter 11 protection in March, five years after navigating the process and closing dozens of locations. In October, Sun Holdings purchased the company out of bankruptcy, adding to a portfolio that includes several quick-serve and full-service chain locations.

Hudson’s Bay — filed in March, IP sold in June

Canada’s 355-year-old retail icon Hudson’s Bay Company entered an arrangement with creditors in March. Unable to secure new financing, HBC closed its doors in June and sold its brand name and IP to Canadian Tire.

Claire’s — filed in August, sold in August

Ear-piercing boutique Claire’s filed for Chapter 11 protection in August for the second time in seven years and was quickly sold to a private equity firm that pledged to preserve much of the chain’s retail footprint.

Liberated Brands — filed in February, dismissed in May

Apparel group Liberated Brands, which operated surf lifestyle brands like Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, and Quiksilver, filed for Chapter 11 protection in February. The move came after Authentic Brands Group terminated the company’s license to use its labels and transitioned them to another partner.

The case was dismissed in May when Liberated Brands was unable to pay its secured lenders in full, leaving unsecured creditors like suppliers and service providers unpaid.

• The Midwest leads in desirable metros with homes priced under $300,000, per Realtor.com.
• As home prices still remain high, affordability is a key factor for prospective homebuyers.
• Coastal cities tend to be more expensive while the Midwest is gaining appeal for its lower costs.

Home sale prices across the country have actually decreased since their peak in 2022, according to data from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, home prices still remain unaffordable for many.

During the second quarter of 2020, the median sales price for a home was $317,100. Fast forward to that same timeframe in 2023, and the price jumped to $418,500. As of 2025, the amount has decreased slightly to $410,800.

Some areas continue to see increases in price, like Miami Beach’s Fisher Island neighborhood, where the median listing price for a home is $11,925,000. Other regions, like the Sun Belt, have cooled off as buyer demand has decreased.

One region that’s becoming more desirable is the Midwest. With household incomes not far off from home listing prices, there are many affordable options available below the national median of $424,200. Realtor.com highlighted the 10 most desirable metros with homes under $300,000, and a large majority of them are Midwestern cities.

While not every city listed is considered Midwestern, the metros are concentrated toward the middle of the map. East- and West-Coast elitists may (or may not) be shocked to find that no coastal cities made the cut. The farthest east city is in northeast Pennsylvania, and the most western city is in Kansas.

Here are 10 desirable metros with homes under $300,000, according to Realtor.com. Metros are in descending order of median list price. Median household income numbers come from the US Census Bureau.

10. St. Louis, MO

Median list price: $295,900

Median household income: $53,374

9. Frankfort, KY

Median list price: $292,050

Median household income: $54,438

8. Wichita, KS

Median list price: $285,000

Median household income: $65,855

7. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Median list price: $267,450

Median household income: $69,861

6. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA

Median list price: $262,350

Median household income: $58,834

5. Cleveland, OH

Median list price: $259,900

Median household income: $43,383

4. Pittsburgh, PA

Median list price: $250,000

Median household income: $66,954

3. Battle Creek, MI

Median list price: $229,999

Median household income: $51,699

2. Toledo, OH

Median list price: $217,950

Median household income: $50,562

1. Muncie, IN

Median list price: $178,250

Median household income: $41,417

• Daily lunches with my grandmother eased my loneliness as a single mother at 26 years old.
• Her support and routine meals helped me adjust to new motherhood and postpartum challenges.
• When she moved away, I had to face single motherhood alone, but she prepared me.

When my son was born, I spent the first six months of his life away from work. I was so happy that I could stay home to take care of him, but I was also alone all day.

I was a single mother at 26 years old, and my other good friends, who lived out of the area, didn’t have kids yet. I felt isolated in new motherhood, but I did have some family nearby.

My grandmother, who only lived 15 minutes away, began inviting me over for lunch nearly every day. Having a lunch date gave me something to put on my schedule. It gave me a place to be, a reason to get dressed, and leave the house.

Eating lunch with my grandmother was exactly what I needed

My grandmother always ate at the same time and ate well-balanced, healthy meals. Eating lunch with her held me accountable to a routine and a conscious diet.

Talking to her was what was really nourishing. I didn’t even realize how much I needed to talk about adjusting to life with a child until I showed up for lunch. I was also starving, sometimes living off of crackers and apple sauce at home in between feedings.

I found myself lingering more and more during our visits, as we talked and took turns holding the baby. It was nice getting to do small things hands-free, like eat a sit-down meal, but I also experienced myself missing my son when my grandmother held him for a while. It was the first time that I finally got a break, but then I instantly missed my son like crazy.

I worried about losing my daily lunch dates

I’d end up staying until the late afternoon, taking my son for a walk after lunch or resting with my grandmother while he napped. I did this for months and knew it was coming to an end, because she was a snowbird. She would come down to Florida during the winter and head back up north for the summer.

I was already dreading her departure when another family member asked what I’d do without her.

I got the sense that maybe others found it odd that I had become so close to my grandmother, given that I was 26 and she was in her 70s. But I just felt lucky to have spent that time of my life with her. Since I lost my mother at a very young age, spending that time with my maternal grandmother was really valuable to me. I’ll never get to ask my own mom for advice, but my son and I got to spend time with my mom’s mom, and I think that’s really special.

It was difficult for me after she left for the summer because that was when I really began to adjust to life as a single parent.

Connecting with my grandmother during postpartum helped me feel capable

I really missed spending time with my grandmother, and that’s when I realized how much her support had kept me grounded during those first six months of postpartum.

I can see now that my grandmother was looking out for me and that the connection I experienced during those visits made my postpartum experience so much more manageable. Having her support during the beginning of my son’s life and of my parenting journey gave me the strength to begin doing it all on my own that summer.

She didn’t have to go out of her way to host all of those lunches, but I think in doing so, she was just doing her best to take care of me in her own way.