Eddie Bauer is closing stores as list of struggling mall retailers grows in 2026

Since 1920, the outdoor recreation brand Eddie Bauer has pioneered innovative apparel and sports gear designs for outdoorsmen in America.

Now, in another blow for physical retailers, sources say that all of the brand’s North American stores are on the chopping block amid an impending bankruptcy filing.

According to a person close to the matter, the company that owns the license to operate Eddie Bauer stores in both the U.S. and Canada, Catalyst Brands, is gearing up for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that could potentially shutter all of the brand’s North American stores. The bankruptcy would be limited to the entity that operates the stores, the person said.

Catalyst Brands did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment.

Eddie Bauer operates 180 locations in the U.S and Canada and about 20 international locations—meaning this filing could almost entirely eliminate the brand’s physical operations.

It would be the second bankruptcy to impact Eddie Bauer, which sought Chapter 11 protection in 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis.

The news comes as the so-called “retail apocalypse” continues to slowly subsume brick-and-mortar stores of all specialties across the United States.

In 2025, store closures struck major retail chains like Macy’s, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Party City, and Big Lots, and the internet grieved the final days of beloved brands like Joann and Claire’s. 

And just this month, Saks Global announced the closure of most of its Saks Off 5th brand, while Francesca’s, another mall staple, began quietly shutting down its stores.

Which Eddie Bauer stores are closing?

Catalyst Brands, which also oversees operations for brands including Lucky Brand, Aéropostale, Nautica, Brooks Brothers, and JCPenney, has not yet announced details of its rumored Chapter 11 filing for Eddie Bauer or the specific stores that it intends to close.

It’s likely that the move will encompass all of the brand’s North American locations—however, sources say that there are several outside parties interested in purchasing at least part of the total fleet.

According to the publication WWD, which reported on the potential bankruptcy last week, the filing is expected to go through sometime in February. 

In the absence of any official news from Catalyst, local media has been independently reporting on closures.

These include a 30-year-old location that closed its doors in Flagstaff, Arizona; a defunct mall spot in Amarillo, Texas; and a shuttered 20-year-old store in Naperville, Illinois, to name a few. 

A full list of Eddie Bauer’s retail locations is still up on its website.

What does this mean for the Eddie Bauer brand?

The reported bankruptcy filing could spell the end of Eddie Bauer’s physical presence in the U.S., but it doesn’t mean that the brand is going away entirely. 

Eddie Bauer’s assets are technically controlled by three separate entities: Catalyst, which owns the license to operate stores in the U.S.; Authentic Brands Group, which owns Eddie Bauer’s global brand IP; and Outdoor 5, which recently acquired the licenses to Eddie Bauer’s manufacturing, e-commerce, and wholesale operations.

Thus, while Catalyst might shutter the brand’s North American stores, Outdoor 5 will continue to manage its digital sales and distribution channels to other retailers. 

Eddie Bauer has been signaling a retreat from its brick-and-mortar business for years.

Back in 2023, when the brand ditched its cursive logo for a new sans serif mark, then-CEO Tim Bantle told Fast Company that wholesale retail and international distribution were two of his top priorities for the company.

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