Outdoor Voices will close all of its retail store locations on March 17, The New York Times first reported. The report is based on information from four employees at four different stores.
An internal memo shared with employees stated “Outdoor Voices is embarking on a new chapter as we transition to an exclusively online business,” Axios reported. Outdoor Voices did not respond to Digital Commerce 360’s request for comment.
Outdoor Voices is No. 675 in the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North America’s leading online retailers by their web sales. In it, Digital Commerce 360 places Outdoor Voices in the Apparel/Accessories category.
When will Outdoor Voices stores close?
The athletic apparel retailer has 15 retail locations, according to its website on March 14. Those locations include Boston, Chicago, and Austin, Texas, where Outdoor Voices is headquartered. The website also lists a location in Miami that is “coming soon.”
All locations will close permanently by 5 p.m. on March 17, Axios reported. As of publication, Outdoor Voices has job openings posted online for nine of its stores.
Outdoor Voices’ troubled history
Ty Haney founded Outdoor Voices in 2014 and became CEO of the athleisure company, which gained a following on social media.
Outdoor Voices raised millions in funding and earned comparisons to athleisure giant Lululemon (No. 27 in the Top 1000). By 2018, the company was valued at $118 million. That plummeted to $40 million in 2020, at which point Haney exited the company. Following her exit, the retailer laid off 15 employees. Haney was replaced by interim CEO Cliff Moskowitz. The retailer named former Urban Outfitters president Gabrielle Conforti its new CEO in 2021.
Since leaving, Haney has publicly criticized the company she founded. In August 2023, she told New York Magazine, “It’s kind of sickening to see how low it’s [Outdoor Voices] gotten … I feel sad for it.”
Other DTC retailers are struggling too
Outdoor Voices isn’t the only direct-to-consumer (DTC) company from the 2010s having a troubled year so far. Footwear retailer Allbirds just announced a CEO change following a quarter of declining revenue. Allbirds also detailed a plan to transform the company and drive profitability.
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The post Outdoor Voices will reportedly close all stores appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.
