Payless ShoeSource has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will close 400 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, the shoe retailer announced Tuesday.
That apparently includes the store at the Charleston Town Center Mall. An employee said Tuesday the store would close in May. The employee did not know if the mall store's closure is part of the 400 store closures announced Tuesday.
The full list of stores that will close has not yet been released by Payless. The company has 10 locations in West Virginia and roughly 4,400 stores worldwide.
"This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify," CEO Paul Jones said in a statement. "We will build a stronger Payless for our customers, vendors and suppliers, associates, business partners and other stakeholders through this process."