Acadiana Mall Store in Lafayette, Louisiana Closing By End of March

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - We reported last month that a store in the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette would be closing soon and we now know when that date will be.

Which store is closing soon in the Acadiana Mall?

Forever 21 in the Acadiana Mall will be closing the week of March 30.

Forever 21 files for bankruptcy...again

A once-powerhouse in the fast-fashion industry, Forever 21 has officially filed for bankruptcy for the second time in nearly six years. As a result, the company announced that it has begun "winding down" its U.S. operations.

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When are Forever 21 stores officially shutting down?

The company began going-out-of-business sales in mid-February for 236 locations, which included the Lafayette store. The company said at the time that those were its poorest performing locations.

The remaining 118 locations will close before May 1. (Gift cards will continue to be honored until April 15.)

The peak of Forever 21

In its heyday, Forever 21 operated around 800 locations worldwide, with annual sales of $4 billion, while employing 43,000 people. However, after its first bankruptcy filing in 2019, that number had dropped to 500 locations worldwide.

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If the company does not find a buyer in the coming weeks, the remaining 354 U.S. locations will be shuttered for good.

A little history of Forever 21

The Los Angeles-based Forever 21 was founded back in 1984, starting out with a 900-square-foot store in California called Fashion 21. The brand grew by the 1990s, quickly expanding across the United States before venturing out into international markets.