Aritzia abruptly closes stores until further notice

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Mar 17, 2020

Aritzia announced on Monday that in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, it will close all of its retail locations until further notice. 

The closings, effective March 16, concerns over 95 boutiques across North America, including mall and store front locations. 

Clients will be able to continue shopping online through aritzia.com for the time being.

"Our goal is to do our part for the global well-being. As we navigate this complex and challenging landscape, we feel this is the best decision for our people, our clients, our partners and our community as a whole," said Brian Hill, founder, CEO and chairman, in a news statement.

To help its employees, the Vancouver-based fashion retailer also announced plans to help financially support both its internal teams and overseas partners. 

"All of Aritzia's profits, while we get through this challenging time, will go to the Aritzia Community Relief Fund to pay our people and support their families,” said Hill. 

The company went on to detail the internal precautions it is taking in response to the virus including shifting all support office employees to flexible working arrangements and increasing precautionary measures to ensure the well-being of its concierge and distribution centre employees. 

Aritzia joins a growing list of retailers to announce store closures in response to the coronavirus outbreak including brands like Lululemon, Patagonia, Urban Outfitters and Glossier. 

The retailer said it will provide an update on the operational and financial impacts of COVID-19 on its fourth quarter fiscal 2020 earnings call in May.