Eddie Bauer could close stores in Southern California and nationwide

Eddie Bauer stores nationwide, including in Southern California, may soon close amid reports that its operator is preparing to file for bankruptcy.

An employee at the Woodland Hills store confirmed it is closing, while a worker at the San Clemente outlet said that location remains open to their knowledge. In the Bay Area, a Gilroy outlet employee said they expect their store to close but have not received formal notice.

Eddie Bauer retail and outlet stores are operated by the recently formed Catalyst Brands, which owns the licensing rights to operate its U.S. and Canada stores.

The financial data group Octus earlier reported that Catalyst Brands is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for Eddie Bauer stores in February. Though plans were not yet final, a bankruptcy is expected to affect brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. and Canada.

There are about 180 Eddie Bauer stores in North America. A location in New Jersey has started liquidation sales, according to the real estate trade publication CoStar News.

Catalyst Brands, which was formed in early 2025 and is based in Plano, Texas, did not respond to a request for comment. The entity operates brands including retailer JCPenney; Aéropostale, which was founded in 1987 in Thousand Oaks; and the denim company Lucky Brand, which was founded in 1990 in Vernon.

The privately-owned company Authentic Brands Group, which has since 2021 owned the Eddie Bauer brand and intellectual property, declined to comment.

Authentic Brands Group said in a statement Monday that it was transitioning the company’s manufacturing, e-commerce and wholesale operations in the U.S. and Canada from Catalyst Brands to Outdoor 5 LLC.

Eddie Bauer was founded in 1920 in downtown Seattle by 21-year-old outdoors enthusiast Eddie Bauer. The company began as a tennis shop before adding gear from other sports, including golf, fishing and badminton. It claims to have designed the first patented down jacket in America.

Eddie Bauer’s then-owner Spiegel Inc. filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Following a reorganization, Eddie Bauer became a standalone company but once again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009, after which it was purchased out of bankruptcy by a California private equity firm.