Syms to Close Berwyn Store

Syms, the discount clothing retailer with the slogan "an educated consumer is our best customer" is going out of business, including the Syms store in Berwyn.

In a message to customers in the Syms website, C.E.O. Marcy Syms writes "Upon bankruptcy court approval, stores will begin to conduct going out of business sales that may run through the end of the year and, in some cases, possibly longer. We hope you will take advantage of these sales, which will offer the same type of great merchandise you've been accustomed to finding in these stores."

It was not immediately clear when the store at 1340 Swedesford Road in Berwyn would close. It was one of 32 Syms stores in the Secaucus, NJ-based chain.

According to the Huffington Post, Syms purchased the troubled Filene's Basement chain at a bankruptcy auction in 2009 for $62.4 million.

Syms was founded in 1959 by Sy Syms whose daughter Marcy now runs the company. The discount clothes retailer engendered deep loyalty among customers and employees. Marcy Syms acknowledged and thanked them for their support in the message announcing the decision to go out of business. "My father started the ad campaign for Syms years ago, in which the tag line was: "An Educated Consumer is our Best Customer." Indeed, our customers have been educated, knowledgeable and loyal. I want to express my appreciation for your patronage and your support over the years."

Fans writing on the company's Facebook page expressed regret and shared memories of buying clothes at the chain for special events in their lives. "Sorry to see Syms go," Marc Peurye wrote on Facebook, "It was a great company to work for. My heart goes out to Marcy, the Syms Family, and all of the employees."

According to the Huffington Post, Syms employees 2,450 people in all. It was not immediately known how many people work at the Berwyn store or when their jobs will end, but according to the Syms webiste it could be as soon as the end of the year.