I am going to guess the company has been stripped of assets, highly in debt, paid special dividends to the private equity firm, massive executive bonuses...
And blaming COVID-19 for bankruptcy.
I’m guessing that many of their debtors will be getting lawyered up for this.
“Brooks Brothers Suits”!
Timeless.
I wore Brooks Brothers clothes and a Burberry Trench Coat, when I worked in Midtown Manhattan at Rock Center, for 11yrs, back in the 70s.
The real Brooks Brothers died a long time ago. Brooks Bros. was bought from the original owner and it’s been struggling for a long time. Casual clothes at work was the real nail in the coffin
I have bought, and own, lots of their stuff.
Last three years, quality is in the toilet. Not surprised they’re dead.
I use Joseph A Bank Company. Have a whole wardrobe with very nice suits. Much more economical than Brooks.
However in retirement I find the suits shrink while hanging in the closet.
A friend noted to me that during the recent rioting and looting not a single Brooks Brothers store suffered any signficant losses. It was likely this messaging that actually lead corporate execs to the conclusion that their days were numbered.
didn’t they get “woke”
Not surprised with so many working remotely from home now - who needs it?
I had my husband drive me through town yesterday and was shocked at all the “for lease” signs up - restaurants, mostly, but other businesses as well.
During the Civil War, Brooks Brothers made thousands of coats & trousers for New York State militia regiments and hundreds of thousands coats & trousers for the Union Army.
Suits are an outmoded style of dress that impose added cost but no value, and they all will eventually disappear except for rare occasions and as costumes.
I used to buy nearly all my shirts from them. I’d usually wait for their twice annual sale. The quality was very high and they looked better than most other products on the market. It might cost me triple to shop at Brooks Brothers but they lasted more than 5 times longer.
They sourced from many places around the world. Little more than a decade or so they started a lot of chinese PRC sourcing. I figured I could get Peoples Republic of China quality elsewhere and stopped buying though still have some old shirts in good condition.
This is a pity.
I have lots of BB clothing and with the exception of a few Irish/English sweaters they are all made in the USA.
Imported fabrics, sure but USA labor and jobs.
Back when I wore suits to work, the important thing was getting the suit adjusted by the store’s tailor to fit perfectly, including proper hemming of the pants.
This cannot be done with “social distancing”.
I have a huge closet full of Brooks Brothers clothing- suits, shirts, ties, polos, etc. They were my standard business clothes for my entire career. Now that I am retired I go to the Boot Barn (western wear). I guess I went from BB to BB......
R. C. Van Tuyl -- CEO of Shearson, Hammill -- always brought his personal bottle of gin into the executive dining room for lunch at 14 Wall.
Clutched it tightly, like a football.