05-05-2025
Forever 21 locations closed in Florida. Can you still use gift cards, get refunds?
Forever 21 is gone forever, at least in the United States.
More than 350 Forever 21 locations, including all 23 in Florida, were scheduled to be closed by May 1, according to court documents, after the company filed for bankruptcy for a second time in six years. Many of them closed up as early as April 1.
The fast-fashion clothing retailer has been struggling due to an increase in global competition and filed the first time in 2019. sold off stores and assets, briefly resurged in the last few years, and finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March after laying off 700 employees earlier in the month, shuttering 236 stores and closing its headquarters.
Forever 21's operator, F21 OpCo, previously said that if a buyer were to come forward with interest in the brand, store closures would pause. But as of the morning of Monday, May 5, a potential buyer had not been shared by the company.
Forever 21's locations outside of the United States are operated by other licensees and are not included in the Chapter 11 filings.
Here's what to know.
According to the filing, all 354 leased locations in the U.S. had to be closed by May 1, 2025.
Altamonte Springs: Altamonte Mall, 451 E. Altamonte Drive Suite 2113
Boca Raton: Town Center at Boca Raton 6000 West Glades Road, Space #1166E
Brandon: Brandon Town Center, 566 Brandon Town Center
Clearwater: Countryside, 27001 U.S Highway 19 N., Ste #2030
Doral: Miami International 1455 NW 107 Ave, Suite 560A
Florida City: Florida Keys Outlet Market, 250 East Palm Drive
Gainesville: The Oaks, 6419 Newberry Rd., Space #B16
Jensen Beach: Treasure Coast Square, 3080 NW Federal Highway
Kissimmee: Osceola Crosslands 620 Center View Blvd.
Miami Beach: 701 Lincoln Road
Naples: Coastland, 1704 Tamiami Trail North, Ste A19
Orlando:
Florida Mall 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail
The Mall at Millenia 4200 Conroy Rd Ste #206
Orlando Premium Outlets 8249 Vineland Ave., Unit 2201
Prime Outlets Int'l 4951 International Drive, Suite #1C06
Panama City Beach: Pier Park, 15575 Starfish St.
Pembroke Pines: Pembroke Lakes Mall 11401 Pines Blvd. #576
Sarasota: University Town Center, FL 140 University Town Center Drive Suite 215
Sunrise: Sawgrass Mills 12801 W. Sunrise Blvd. Ste 555
Tallahassee: Governor's Square 1500 Apalachee Pkwy, Ste 1210
West Palm Beach:
Palm Beach Outlets, 1795 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. #W500
Wellington Green 10300 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Ste 191
Winter Garden: Winter Garden Village, 3049 Daniel Road Unit 220C
Since 2022, when there were 32 Forever 21 locations in Florida, the company has already closed locations in Aventura, Destin, Jacksonville, Kendall, Lutz, Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, South Miami, and Tampa, according to a comparison between current listings and an archived list.
Forever 21 stopped accepting gift cards and store credit on April 15.
Refunds and exchanges are also no longer available.
In the filing in a Delaware court asking permission to close more locations, the company listed "inflationary pressures, decreased consumer discretionary spending, contracting margins, and shifting customer preferences" along with decreasing mall traffic and competition from overseas discount companies Temu and Shein as its reasons.
Initially, Forever 21 announced in November 2024 that the company was closing 11 underperforming stores and then added seven more in December.
"Certain non-U.S. online retailers that compete with the (F21 OpCo), such as Temu and Shein, have taken advantage of this exemption and, therefore, have been able to pass significant savings onto consumers," Stephen Coulombe, co-chief restructuring officer of F21 OpCo said in a court document upholding the filing. "Consequently, retailers that must pay duties and tariffs to purchase product for their stores and warehouses in the United States, such as the (F21 OpCo), have been undercut."
This move comes as both Temu and Shein have been forced to raise their prices due to tariffs against China and the elimination of a previous exemption that allowed shipments under $800 to enter the U.S, duty-free.
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Forever 21 closes all US locations. What about gift cards, refunds?
