BON-TON Liquidation Begins | Forum

advertisement
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Apr 18 '18
In what comes as a shock to no one in the retail world, the Bon-Ton, a Boston-based department store chain has gotten itself picked up by a liquidation firm, which means that all the Bon-Ton, Boston Store, Elder Beerman, Carson's, and Younkers stores are on the chopping block. That means a lot of dead malls very soon.

Younkers was a department store and anchor in my hometown mall until 2014. In February of this year, they elected to close the Younkers in the Wausau Center Mall, the big "regional" Younkers store. Now, it looks like all the remaining Bon-Ton flagged stores everywhere are done for regardless of size, scale, or sales. Crazy to think that they have fallen this far in such a short time.

News article is HERE.
Another on the subject is HERE.








Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Apr 18 '18
For those curious, here's what Younkers website looks like as of 4.18.18.


Jasper
Jasper Apr 19 '18
Fucking millenials! Lol
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Apr 26 '18

Quote from Jasper Fucking millenials! Lol

Another one down I suppose. Surely, it's just the millennials that aren't shopping at these stores anymore.
Jasper
Jasper Apr 28 '18
Lol 
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Apr 30 '18
So, I was in Wausau, and happened to swing by the Wausau Center Mall to visit it's last dying anchor on it's last day open. You could have fit their entire inventory into two shopping carts, it was scary.













Apologies for the "guerilla" camera work, I had to be a tad discrete with how I took my pictures. The place was huge and empty, save for an abundance of glum-looking store associates. A few racks of merchandise were set up near the mall entrance, but they were mostly scraps no one wanted, and it showed.

There's another Younkers that just started it's sales in Plover, which I drive by daily. I'll see if I can get some pictures of that one too.
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Apr 30 '18
Also, the Younkers website on 4.30.18...


Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 May 3 '18
The Younkers store in Plover, Wisconsin on 5.1.18.


Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Jun 7 '18

Caught an ad for the BON-TON liquidation right here on the Fortress, this one for Herbergers which is located somewhat further east of where I am in the state.



Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Jun 16 '18

Got a square version of it on MetaJolt too.



Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Jun 20 '18

I found the pictures I had taken on 6/1/18 of our "local" Younkers store here in Plover Wisconsin. The Younkers in Appleton, as well as Wausau are both shuttered, making this the only Younkers store for about 200 miles now, and it'll remain so until the sales end around August (according to the woman I spoke with). It seems like they have a longer-term lease on this building, so they've made this their sales hub, not bad.






This store had been opened as an Elder-Beerman store, and then became a Younkers store around 2007-2008. What will happen to it after the sale is a mystery, though I expect the massive demand for retail space in the Stevens Point area won't leave this place empty for long.

Jasper
Jasper Jul 30 '18
Are these like ranulfs?
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Jul 30 '18

Quote from Jasper Are these like ranulfs?
Not familiar with that one I'm afraid.
Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Sep 7 '18
Okay, this one took me by surprise.




According to the liquidation firm that shuttered Younkers to pay off it's creditors, they are in the process of selling the entirety of the Bon-Ton's intellectual property (including all the store names, brands, and logos) to an unnamed party. However, their intentions seem pretty clear to bring the stores back.

Considering that Younkers, at least here in Wisconsin, was doing alright in their smaller format stores, it would make sense to buy back into the business and then only operate the profitable locations with new stock and merchandise. With virtually all of Younker's baggage and overhead long gone thanks to the liquidation, it's prime time for a vulture to swoop in and plunder it now.

Maklarr4000
Maklarr4000 Sep 7 '18
Okay, we've got a name on the buyer.




The buyer has been revealed to be CSC Generation, probably best known as the owner of DirectBuy, a furniture store and Killion, an online store for menswear. Considering their existing portfolio, becoming the new Bon-Ton/Younkers/Boston Store/etc. isn't too much of a stretch. It'll be interesting to see what stores might actually come back.

News articles can be found below:
Quad City Times

NBC 13 News Eau Claire
ABC 18 Eau Claire
Des Moines Register



advertisement