rue21 closing all stores, including 15 in Tennessee, due to bankruptcy filing.

Jordan Green, Memphis Commercial Appeal

rue21 filed for bankruptcy for the third, and final, time last week.

The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close all 543 stores in the next two months. It plans to sell all of its intellectual property after closing down. It will close over a dozen stores across Tennessee within the next few months.

Here is what we know about the retailer's closing.

How many rue21 locations are in Tennessee?

The fashion retailer listed 15 stores in Tennessee before filing for bankruptcy — its third time doing so since 2003. Tennesseans shopped at rue 21 in the following cities:

  • Athens (1)

  • Bristol (1)

  • Chattanooga (1)

  • Clarksville (1)

  • Cookeville (1)

  • Kingsport (1)

  • Knoxville (1)

  • Memphis (2)

  • Millington (1)

  • Morristown (1)

  • Murfreesboro (1)

  • Nashville (1)

  • Sevierville (1)

  • Smyrna (1)

rue21 filed for bankruptcy two other times

rue21 has filed for bankruptcy twice before. The first time was in 2003 and the second was in 2017. Four hundred stores were closed to cut about $700 million in debt.

There are currently 4,900 employees and $194.4 million in debt.

rue21 and Forever 21 are not the same stores

Though the names of the stores are similar, there is no affiliation between the two. Both stores are owned by completely separate companies.

rue21 was founded in 1970 as Pennsylvania Fashions Inc. It rebranded to rue21 after the first filing for bankruptcy in 2003.

Forever 21 was first founded in 1984 as Fashion 21. It is unclear when the store rebranded. The company did file for bankruptcy in 2019, but it still has over 540 stores open.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: rue21 closing: These Tennessee stores to close after bankruptcy filing

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