Store Closings: Cato and Scrubs & Beyond

The chain said those closings stem from an annual review it makes at about a third of its just over 1000-store stable of brands. “In years past, marginal stores were renewed for an additional year to give the store more time to improve its sales trend and profitability,” John Cato, Chairman, President and CEO said in a news release. “In light of the current economic environment, especially with the negative pressure on our customers’ discretionary income, we do not expect these marginal stores to improve appreciably. As a result, we are closing more stores than expected this year. We believe that closing these additional stores will have a positive impact on our operating results in fiscal 2027 and beyond.”

Founded in 1946, the retailer operates stores under its flagship name, along with Versona, it’s Fashion and It’s Fashion Metro.

* Scrubs & Beyond (St. Louis) announced on its website it is closing all its 115 stores in 30 states. The company, which launched 2000, plans to continue operating as an online retailer, TheStreet.com reports.

After TheStreet published its first story saying the reasons for the closings were not known, the apparel chain sent this statement to the news service: “At this time, we’re unable to provide an additional comment regarding the closure of our retail locations. Scrubs & Beyond has made the strategic decision to wind down its brick-and-mortar retail locations and continue serving customers primarily through our online store.”

The chain’s largest cluster of stores in Texas (16), followed by California and Michigan (9 each).