David's Bridal To Lay Off Hundreds Across 14 New York Stores: Notice

NEW YORK — David's Bridal, a popular shop for wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and formal attire, plans to lay off hundreds of workers in New York, according to a WARN notice this week. The notice comes as the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and said it would lay off just over 9,000 workers.

A total of 475 employees across all of its 14 Empire State locations will be laid off, according to the notice, which was publicly posted Wednesday. The state Department of Labor's Office of Dislocated Workers Program received notice of the layoffs Monday, and the store cited economic reasons for the dislocation.

The layoff will occur in phases.

For field and store workers, layoffs will come between June 12 and Aug. 11.

For corporate employees, phase one of layoffs began April 11 and April 14. The next phase was set to occur between May 13 and May 27, followed by another phase between June 12 and Aug. 11.

Distribution center employees will be affected between June 12-26.

The affected stores are spread across New York, including Lake Grove, Massapequa Park and Westbury on Long Island, as well as Queens and Manhattan, and Middletown and Yonkers in the Hudson Valley.

The employees affected are not represented by a union.

The reason for the closure was solely economic.

The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based company said Monday it had filed voluntary petitions for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, and will seek similar protection in Canada and the United Kingdom.

In a news release, David’s Bridal said both brick-and-mortar stores and online sales, including through its Pearl platform and vendor marketplace, will remain accessible to brides for their wedding planning needs.

Members of Diamond, the company’s loyalty program, can continue to earn and redeem points. Also, the company said it intends to honor gift cards, returns and exchanges.

The petition includes the usual “first day” relief, including authorization from the court to pay its workers, maintain certain customer programs and honor obligations to critical vendors. David’s Bridal will continue to seek buyers, the company said.

David’s Bridal CEO James Marcum said the company “continues to be challenged by the post-COVID environment and uncertain economic conditions, leading us to take this step to identify a buyer who can continue to operate our business going forward.”