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There are many places to purchase activewear but now there is one less. Outdoor Voices has shuttered all of its stores. Insiders revealed to the New York Times and Axios that employees were surprised by the news when it was delivered to them in a Slack message that read, "Outdoor Voices is embarking on a new chapter as we transition to an exclusively online business."
All locations marked down merchandise until Sunday, when they closed for good. Employees reported that very few were given any kind of severance or compensation, aside from some shop managers who, according to USA Today, were offered $500 to stay on even though they knew their stores would be shutting down. Due to backlash though, some full-time employees were eventually granted some severance.
Outdoor Voices was started in 2014 by Tyler Hanley. J. Crew started selling their products and the company took off, competing against the likes of Lululemon. The brand opened stores in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Washington, D.C. and before long, in 2018, the company was valued at $110 million. However, two years later, due to management issues and struggles behind-the-scenes, that dropped to $40 million. Hanley quit as CEO but stayed on the board, though has been vocal about what's happened with the quality of the brand, telling Axios, "It's kind of sickening to see how low it's gotten."
Recently, stores in LA, Austin, Nashville and Philadelphia closed, and now, the remaining 16 locations will as well.
Outdoor Voices isn't alone in shutting down stores. Bed, Bath & Beyond, Tuesday Morning, Christmas Tree Shops and The Body Shop, closed all of theirs after declaring bankruptcy, while Family Dollar, Sears, Walgreens, CVS, Pizza Hut, Boston Market, TGI Fridays and Popeyes are shuttering locations as a cost-saving measure.