Dressbarn to close 7 Baltimore-area stores

Company plans to shutter all 650 facilities eventually

The parent of Dressbarn announced Monday that it plans to wind down the women’s clothing store business and close all of its roughly 650 stores.

Acena Retail Group, based in Mahwah, New Jersey, said its decision to close the value-oriented chain has no impact on its others brands, including Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lane Bryant, Cacique and Justice.

“This move is in line with the company’s commitment to comprehensively assess and optimize its portfolio by focusing resources on its most profitable brands to position the business for longterm growth and enhance shareholder value,” Ascena said in its announcement.

In the Baltimore area, Dressbarn has stores in Arundel Mills in Hanover, White Marsh Mall, Timonium Square, Severna Park Shopping Center, The Village at Waugh Chapel in Gambrills, Laurel Shopping Center and Festival at Bel Air.

For now, all the stores are open and operating normally, Dressbarn said in a statement.

“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,” said Steven Taylor, Dressbarn’s chief financial officer, in a statement. “This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.”

No timeline was offered for the closings. The company said plans for individual store closings and store closing sales will be shared later during the wind-down process.

Founded in 1962 in Stamford, Connecticut, Dressbarn employs about 6,800 workers. Dressbarn said displaced employees would be “provided with transition support.”