Pause for a moment today and shed a tear for the six C.O. Bigelow shops that will soon no longer be with us. According to WWD, the announcement was made today that six out of the eleven retail outposts of the beloved apothecary chain would close by the end of July.
This news follows the dissolve of several important executive positions that occurred within the company two months ago, after a ten percent employee reduction plan was put into effect by C.O. Bigelow's parent company, Limited Brands Inc. The reduction plan resulted in the abrupt ending of many projects the retailer was developing to expand, says Courtney Baber, general manager of C.O. Bigelow. Baber had been responsible for supervising the expansion of the brand into 100 stores nationwide over the next several years, with 10 new locations slated to open this year. Sadly, those plans were put on hold when Baber herself was let go in Mid-March and the store closings began at the end of last month. All the stores scheduled to close are located throughout the Northeast and include one in Chicago (Watertower), one in New Jersey, and one in Columbus, Ohio. One silver lining is that the retailer's vintage-y, signature spot on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan is under private ownership and therefore will remain open.
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Anyone who's ever visited a C.O. Bigelow apothecary understands that so much of their shopping experience lays in the charming setup of the shop, the aisles brimming with products, and that overwhelming urge to purchase the bottles and jars simply for their antique look. All of that will be dearly missed. So hurry to the nearest outpost and snatch up your Bigelow goodies while you still can!
Shop online at bigelowchemists.com
Article Source: WWD
Photo Source: flickr.com – Alia Rajput
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