This East Brunswick Retail Chain Store Is Closing Permanently

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The Claire's store at Brunswick Square Mall is permanently closing as the teen accessories retailer undergoes its second bankruptcy in seven years.

The East Brunswick location, which sits in a mall already targeted by the township for redevelopment.

Claire's Holdings LLC filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, citing overwhelming debt and changing consumer shopping patterns.

Liquidation sales are currently underway at several locations that are set to close.

The company, known for entry-level ear piercing and teen accessories through its Claire's and Icing brands, has struggled with debt accumulation and the shift toward online shopping, according to court documents filed August 6.

While Claire's operates more than 2,750 stores across 17 countries in North America and Europe, plus 190 Icing locations in North America, the company is selectively closing underperforming locations. In New Jersey, seven Claire's stores will close while 14 others remain open.

Court filings show Claire's assets and liabilities range between $1 billion and $10 billion. This marks the retailer's second bankruptcy since 2018.

“This decision is difficult, but a necessary one,” Claire's CEO, Chris Cramer, said in an accompanying new release issued at the time of the filing. "Increased competition, consumer spending trends and the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retail, in combination with our current debt obligations and macroeconomic factors, necessitate this course of action for Claire’s and its stakeholders."

Here are the stores closing in New Jersey:

• Deptford — Deptford Mall, 1750 Deptford Ctr Road

• Westfield — 141 East Broad Street

• Mays Landing — Hamilton Mall, 4403 Black Horse Pike

• East Brunswick — Brunswick Square, 755 Highway 18

• Vineland — Cumberland Mall, 3849 South Delsea Drive

• Paramus — Bergen Mall, 2701 Bergen Town Center

• Wayne — Willowbrook Mall, 2702 Willowbrook Mall

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