Is J.Crew Bankruptcy Just the Beginning?

J.Crew, which has namesake locations on the Country Club Plaza and Leawood, as well as Madewell locations in those areas and a factory store in Legends Outlets Kansas City, has filed for bankruptcy.

Industry watchers say that J.Crew won’t be the last retailer to file for bankruptcy in the near term, as the industry is ravaged by economic shutdowns from COVID-19.

A recent Retail Dive report looked at the credit risks of other national retailers that could be likely to follow J.Crew, many of which have a presence in the Kansas City area.

They include: J.C. Penney, GameStop, Stein Mart, GNC and Party City.

Bankruptcies could potentially lead to store closures, which could further tax retail real estate landlords.