Stock up on bodysuits and disco pants while you can – American Apparel is closing its Australian stores.
According to a store manager, who preferred to remain unnamed, Australian staff members were notified in early November. “What happened with the US part of the business was a separate process – we [in Australia] engaged with administrators on Wednesday November 9," the manager says. The manager was unwilling to comment on staff payouts.
The Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide stores have been placed in voluntary administration with Australian advisory firm Mcgrath Nicol after the US-based brand filed for bankruptcy on Monday for the second time (the first was in October 2015).
According to Bloomberg, American Apparel will likely be bought out by the Canadian T-shirt brand Gildan Activewear, which will buy the company’s remaining inventory but none of its stores.
Broadsheet could not confirm an official closure date for the company’s three Australian stores. The store manager says there is “no exact timeline for closure” and that there is still a large amount of stock available in-store.
The Australian online store has been replaced with a message about pending online orders. The American Apparel Australian Instagram account quietly went offline on November 15.
