Bridgewater Store Closing Amid Retailer 'Wind Down'

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A bolstering economy often means businesses are growing, but that's not the case for every industry. Residents of Bridgewater are being affected by a mass lay off.

A popular retailer announced it's shutting down and closing all 650 stores, including 28 in New Jersey, one of which is in Bridgewater. The news comes as several New Jersey companies have announced that nearly 1,000 people will lose their jobs in the next two months (see lists below).

The company that's shutting down, Dressbarn, employs about 6,800 people and has not disclosed when stores will begin shutting down. Parent company ascena retail group, Inc. announced the "wind down" of operations on Monday.

"All Dressbarn stores are open and conducting business as usual, as is Dressbarn's ecommerce site," the company said in a press release Monday. "Customers can continue to shop at Dressbarn in-store and online and use Dressbarn-branded credit cards for purchases. There are no current changes to Dressbarn's return, refund, or gift card policies."

The Bridgewater location, at 333 US Hwy. 202/206, is shutting down.

Related: 28 Stores Closing, Nearly 1,000 More Layoffs In NJ Coming Soon

As Dressbarn leaves, these companies have announced the following layoffs by July 15:

• Clover Health, Jersey City 64 (May 28) Clover Health, a startup, is restructuring its internal teams in an attempt to bring on healthcare insurance and health IT expertise, the result of which will be layoffs affecting roughly 140 of the company's current employees, according to mobihealthnews.

• Eurest Services Inc/Compass Group USA, Dayton 66 (June 1)

• Ethan Allen Operations, Inc., Passaic 55 (June 15) Ethan Allen Interiors said it will lay off 325 workers from its manufacturing facility in Old Fort, N.C. and 55 employees in Passaic, New Jersey.

• Gateway Community Action Partnership, Bridgeton 169 (June 30) Employees at 10 Head Start and Early Head Start program locations in Atlantic and Cape May counties are on notice of possible layoffs on June 30 if long-term federal funding is not renewed, according to The Daily Journal.

• Exelon Generation, Forked River 65 (June 30) The Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township is shutting down.

• Baker & Taylor, Bridgewater 244 (July 3) Baker & Taylor has announced that it will close its Route 22 book warehouse and shed more than 200 jobs, according to The Courier-News.

• JCPenney Corporation, Inc. Mays Landing, 81 (July 6) JCPenney confirmed that it will be closing its store located at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing on July 5, and 81 jobs will be lost by that date.

• Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc., New Brunswick 61 (July 15) The New Jersey-based maker of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and consumer-packaged goods has significantly reduced its marketing expenses, according to Adweek.

CFO Steven Taylor called the Dressbarn decision "difficult but necessary" as the stores were "not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment."

"For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women's fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers," Taylor said. "During the wind down process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great experience both in-store and online, offering them even better deals and value. We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process."

The company said Dressbarn employees will be notified when decisions are made about individual store closures and given "transition support." Dressbarn also said it will continue paying its vendors and suppliers in full for products and services provided during the wind down process.