Janie and Jack going out of business

[Anonymous]

It’s oretty much my primary clothing store for my son. But I know how to shop the sales. I also resell them all for about 40-50% of what I paid.

But they are going out of business bc they abandoned their loyal customer base. They had crappy practices like not honoring a sale price even a day after you dropped $$$.

Then they brought in a guy who used to run the gap. And starting brand tf out if everything. Exactly what their core shoppers did not want. Then they went a little less New England prep and a little more vogue which also didn’t fly. Not a single ad with a kid smoking became a hallmark. Then quality dropped (screen printed patterns instead of embroidered) but prices didn’t. Then they started shifting the collections. Then they stopped organizing them as collections. Their website improvements made it harder to shop.

I could go on.

But it was a great chain of high quality reliable clothing that also fed a great resale market. They started ignoring those customers. And this is the result. It should be a case study for a college marketing class

They could not have tried harder to ruin their business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s oretty much my primary clothing store for my son. But I know how to shop the sales. I also resell them all for about 40-50% of what I paid.

But they are going out of business bc they abandoned their loyal customer base. They had crappy practices like not honoring a sale price even a day after you dropped $$$.

Then they brought in a guy who used to run the gap. And starting brand tf out if everything. Exactly what their core shoppers did not want. Then they went a little less New England prep and a little more vogue which also didn’t fly. Not a single ad with a kid smoking became a hallmark. Then quality dropped (screen printed patterns instead of embroidered) but prices didn’t. Then they started shifting the collections. Then they stopped organizing them as collections. Their website improvements made it harder to shop.

I could go on.

But it was a great chain of high quality reliable clothing that also fed a great resale market. They started ignoring those customers. And this is the result. It should be a case study for a college marketing class

They could not have tried harder to ruin their business.

+1 to all this. I wish they could find a strategic buyer and get back to basics (their girl stuff has gotten awful). I loved them for ultra classic baby stuff when my son was little

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s oretty much my primary clothing store for my son. But I know how to shop the sales. I also resell them all for about 40-50% of what I paid.

But they are going out of business bc they abandoned their loyal customer base. They had crappy practices like not honoring a sale price even a day after you dropped $$$.

Then they brought in a guy who used to run the gap. And starting brand tf out if everything. Exactly what their core shoppers did not want. Then they went a little less New England prep and a little more vogue which also didn’t fly. Not a single ad with a kid smoking became a hallmark. Then quality dropped (screen printed patterns instead of embroidered) but prices didn’t. Then they started shifting the collections. Then they stopped organizing them as collections. Their website improvements made it harder to shop.

I could go on.

But it was a great chain of high quality reliable clothing that also fed a great resale market. They started ignoring those customers. And this is the result. It should be a case study for a college marketing class

They could not have tried harder to ruin their business.

Yep, the Gymboree/Janie and jack failure was the same. I only bought Gymboree clothes for a couple of years but the decline in quality was remarkable. And then their answer to declining sales was not to improve quality but to copy the Gap and H&M

[Anonymous]

Interesting analysis. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but what you said about their change in styles rings true. I shopped there regularly when my first DD was a baby/toddler. Would have bought everything in the store if I could have afforded it. As time went on, I stopped going to the mall. Now, 7 years later, I went in to shop the going out of business sale for my younger child, and thought everything on the racks was just “meh”. I actually wondered if they had pulle their super cute inventory from the floor and subbed in less quality stuff. But after reading these comments, seems they just got away from the classic styles I knew them for.

[Anonymous]

Interesting about the style change! My oldest is 8 and I remember looking in their windows and even occasionally browsing before she was born, and thinking how I would love to be able to afford their clothes or find similar, less expensive styles. Lately, when we’re at a better financial place and we have an infant, I’ve been checking their website and thinking, wow, did I really love these styles back then? Makes sense if they’ve changed.

It makes me a bit worried about Hanna. I know they’ve gone through some changes, but I still prefer their classic styles for my kids. I hope their changes aren’t a result of needing to “save” the business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s oretty much my primary clothing store for my son. But I know how to shop the sales. I also resell them all for about 40-50% of what I paid.

But they are going out of business bc they abandoned their loyal customer base. They had crappy practices like not honoring a sale price even a day after you dropped $$$.

Then they brought in a guy who used to run the gap. And starting brand tf out if everything. Exactly what their core shoppers did not want. Then they went a little less New England prep and a little more vogue which also didn’t fly. Not a single ad with a kid smoking became a hallmark. Then quality dropped (screen printed patterns instead of embroidered) but prices didn’t. Then they started shifting the collections. Then they stopped organizing them as collections. Their website improvements made it harder to shop.

I could go on.

But it was a great chain of high quality reliable clothing that also fed a great resale market. They started ignoring those customers. And this is the result. It should be a case study for a college marketing class

They could not have tried harder to ruin their business.

+100

I hadn’t thought of all this but it’s very true. Most of the items my dd wore the last year I bought in BST groups on FB from older seasons. I hate the branding! I’ve been so annoyed with the shirts that look cute while scrolling online and then I click and realize Janie and Jack is printed in large letters below the design. Don’t get me started on the screen printing.

[Anonymous]

When do you think their online discounts will be better than 30% off full-price items? Are people stocking up before the store closes?

[Anonymous]

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. Gymboree, yes, is looking for a buyer for the Janie and Jack brand, however, no deal fell through. The day that the associate is referring to was the day that the court allowance to run without liquidation was up. The court granted that Janie and Jack run 30 days from the time of Gymboree's filing (Jan17th 2019-Feb 17th 2019) without the use of the liquidation company unlike Gymboree and Crazy8 who were to begin liquidation immediately. Janie and Jack must liquidate all current product BECAUSE it was made for the Gymboree company and carries Gym-Mark labels inside the seem of the clothing. Whomever "buys" the brand would not be permitted to sell the current clothing with that label.
THAT BEING SAID even if a "buyer" and the debtor cannot come to an agreement, Special Situations Investment Group (Goldman Sachs) has had a standing bid on the brand since the time of filing (January 17, 2018), meaning that they win the brand at auction if no other group steps up. Auction on the Janie and Jack brand is set for Wednesday February 27th 2019. Check around for updates folks!
*Prime Clerk-Gymboree in your Google search.*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. Gymboree, yes, is looking for a buyer for the Janie and Jack brand, however, no deal fell through. The day that the associate is referring to was the day that the court allowance to run without liquidation was up. The court granted that Janie and Jack run 30 days from the time of Gymboree's filing (Jan17th 2019-Feb 17th 2019) without the use of the liquidation company unlike Gymboree and Crazy8 who were to begin liquidation immediately. Janie and Jack must liquidate all current product BECAUSE it was made for the Gymboree company and carries Gym-Mark labels inside the seem of the clothing. Whomever "buys" the brand would not be permitted to sell the current clothing with that label.
THAT BEING SAID even if a "buyer" and the debtor cannot come to an agreement, Special Situations Investment Group (Goldman Sachs) has had a standing bid on the brand since the time of filing (January 17, 2018), meaning that they win the brand at auction if no other group steps up. Auction on the Janie and Jack brand is set for Wednesday February 27th 2019. Check around for updates folks!
*Prime Clerk-Gymboree in your Google search.*

*Auction moved to Thursday February 28th due to "debtors receiving additional interest in assets"*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. Gymboree, yes, is looking for a buyer for the Janie and Jack brand, however, no deal fell through. The day that the associate is referring to was the day that the court allowance to run without liquidation was up. The court granted that Janie and Jack run 30 days from the time of Gymboree's filing (Jan17th 2019-Feb 17th 2019) without the use of the liquidation company unlike Gymboree and Crazy8 who were to begin liquidation immediately. Janie and Jack must liquidate all current product BECAUSE it was made for the Gymboree company and carries Gym-Mark labels inside the seem of the clothing. Whomever "buys" the brand would not be permitted to sell the current clothing with that label.
THAT BEING SAID even if a "buyer" and the debtor cannot come to an agreement, Special Situations Investment Group (Goldman Sachs) has had a standing bid on the brand since the time of filing (January 17, 2018), meaning that they win the brand at auction if no other group steps up. Auction on the Janie and Jack brand is set for Wednesday February 27th 2019. Check around for updates folks!
*Prime Clerk-Gymboree in your Google search.*

*Auction moved to Thursday February 28th due to "debtors receiving additional interest in assets"*

**Auction moved to March 1st due to "last minute bid interest in the Janie & Jack assets"**

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. Gymboree, yes, is looking for a buyer for the Janie and Jack brand, however, no deal fell through. The day that the associate is referring to was the day that the court allowance to run without liquidation was up. The court granted that Janie and Jack run 30 days from the time of Gymboree's filing (Jan17th 2019-Feb 17th 2019) without the use of the liquidation company unlike Gymboree and Crazy8 who were to begin liquidation immediately. Janie and Jack must liquidate all current product BECAUSE it was made for the Gymboree company and carries Gym-Mark labels inside the seem of the clothing. Whomever "buys" the brand would not be permitted to sell the current clothing with that label.
THAT BEING SAID even if a "buyer" and the debtor cannot come to an agreement, Special Situations Investment Group (Goldman Sachs) has had a standing bid on the brand since the time of filing (January 17, 2018), meaning that they win the brand at auction if no other group steps up. Auction on the Janie and Jack brand is set for Wednesday February 27th 2019. Check around for updates folks!
*Prime Clerk-Gymboree in your Google search.*

*Auction moved to Thursday February 28th due to "debtors receiving additional interest in assets"*

**Auction moved to March 1st due to "last minute bid interest in the Janie & Jack assets"**

***Auction was held this morning at 9am. No conclusion yet. Wall Street Journal reports GAP in talks to buy Janie and Jack as well as the Gymboree intellectual property and online footprint.***

[Anonymous]

^^is there anyone who actually cares about all these ***updates*** ? Are you affiliated with the store?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^is there anyone who actually cares about all these ***updates*** ? Are you affiliated with the store?

NP but I have enjoyed them, and appreciate the insights. It's made me less likely to frantically stock up on bigger sizes at J&J since it seems like they won't be going away forever

[Anonymous]

Gap is buying unless the bankruptcy court doesn’t approve.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/02/childrens-place-to-buy-gymboree-brand-while-gap-snags-janie-and-jack.html?&qsearchterm=

[Anonymous]

Yes I am and someone obviously cared at some point or this thread wouldn't exist. Just offering information about the goings on vs a continuing thread of speculation tat is all