Christopher & Banks stores bankrupt nationally; one store closing in Columbia

Christopher & Banks, a women’s apparel chain based in Minneapolis, MN, is closing its location at the Village at Sandhill shopping center in Columbia

The Columbia Christopher & Banks is scheduled to close on Feb. 28, according to a store associate.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 14 and announced it would close most, if not all, of its brick and mortar store locations.

Nationally, the company is closing more than 400 locations, including three in South Carolina, according to a press release. The Christopher & Banks stores at the Gaffney Premium Outlet and the Tanger Outlets in Myrtle Beach are closing also.

Online shopping for the store is still available, but the company said it is hoping to sell its eCommerce platform and other assets.

Leading up to the final days of the store in the Village at Sandhill, all merchandise will be discounted between 40% to 60% off the original price, according to Hilco Merchant Resources, the company managing the closeout of all stores.

Hilco also said that “store fixtures are also being sold at compelling prices as part of these closing sales.”

Previously purchased gift cards can be redeemed until Feb. 2. Purchases made before Jan. 13 can be returned within 30 days for merchandise credit, while items purchased on Jan. 14 or after are final sale. Anything bought online after Jan. 14 cannot be returned in stores, only online.

Christopher & Banks is also no longer offering “buy online and pick-up in-store” orders during its closing sales.

The company suffered from “the retail apocalypse that was first created by a customer migration away from brick-and-mortar stores and most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic,” according to a sworn declaration filed by President and Chief Executive Keri Jones, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.