David’s Bridal is selling businesses and laying off thousands of employees
David’s Bridal is laying off thousands of employees across the country as it makes plans to sell the business – just weeks before wedding season begins.
The nation’s largest bridal retailer laid off its first round of employees on Friday and plans to lay off the rest in two separate phases that will extend through August, according to a WARN filing with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor.
The mass layoffs will eliminate a total of 9,236 employees across David’s Bridal’s 300 stores.
“We are evaluating our strategic options and a sale process is underway,” a spokesman told The Post.
“Currently there are no updates to share and all stores are open to serve customers. Our focus remains on providing excellent service and we are committed to serving and delivering to our brides and clients and being part of magical moments.”
Company employees were the first to receive the axe, according to a similar WARN notice filed in Colorado.
Distribution center employees will be on the chopping block in June, while field service and store employees will be laid off from June through August.
The exact location of the layoffs is not yet known, but the notices warn that all employees could be affected.
“The layoffs are expected to be permanent, although new opportunities may arise depending on the outcome of the company’s sales efforts,” Andrea Dauphinee, the company’s senior vice president of human resources, said in the filing.
Additionally, stores could start closing their doors in the coming months.
The layoffs come just a week after The New York Times reported that David’s Bridal is planning to file for bankruptcy.
The company is reportedly struggling to cope with the costs it racked up five years earlier — the first time it filed for bankruptcy after racking up $400 million in debt.
It emerged in 2019, just in time for the pandemic, but has never been able to fully recover.
David’s Bridal is the latest major company to announce massive layoffs in recent weeks.
Sources revealed Friday Best Buy would be cutting hundreds of jobs in the US to shift its focus to e-commerce.
Last week, a report showed that McDonald’s would lay off hundreds of employees in its corporate offices, cut salaries and benefits for others, and close field offices as part of a company-wide restructuring.
