Frank and Oak filing for bankruptcy protection while Reitmans will close Thyme Maternity and Addition Elle

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      As Canada’s apparel industry attempts to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, another Canadian clothing retailer is seeking creditor protection.

      On June 22, Modasuite, the parent company for Frank and Oak, filed a notice under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. KPMG has been appointed as a trustee.

      Modasuite owed approximately $19 million to creditors, as of June 22.

      Montreal’s Ethan Song and Hicham Ratani originally launched the men’s and women’s clothing company as an online business in 2012 but expanded by opening 19 physical locations in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and B.C., which include one in Gastown in Vancouver and another at Metrotown in Burnaby.

      The stores had reopened on June 1 with health measures in place, after being closed during the pandemic. The company reportedly has approximately 350 part-time and full-time employees.

      After almost a century in business, Montreal-based Reitmans (Canada) announced in May that it would be filing for protection under Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.

      Reitmans issued a news release on June 1 that announced its restructuring plans, which includes permanently shutting down 54 Thyme Maternity stores on July 18 and 77 Addition Elle stores on August 15, and reducing its workforce by about 1,400 employees.

      Vancouver-based discount department store Army and Navy, after 101 years in business, announced on May 9 that it would be permanently closing its five locations due to the economic impact of the pandemic. It had stores in Vancouver, New Westminster, Langley, Calgary, and Edmonton.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

      Comments