Columbia Center mall is about to have another vacant storefront to fill. 

OpCo, LLC, the company that owns and operates fast fashion brand Forever 21, has initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, according to a release. As a result, the company will wind down its U.S. operations while it looks for a buyer for some or all of its assets. Forever 21’s locations outside of the United States are operated by other licensees and are not included in the chapter 11 filings. 

The company could pivot way from a full closure depending on the details of a sale of the brand. 

“While we have evaluated all options to best position the company for the future, we have been unable to find a sustainable path forward, given competition from foreign fast fashion companies, which have been able to take advantage of the de minimis exemption to undercut our brand on pricing and margin, as well as rising costs, economic challenges impacting our core customers, and evolving consumer trends,” said Brad Sell, OpCo’s chief financial officer, in a statement. 

Forever 21’s store at Columbia Center, located near JCPenney, opened in December 2021, nearly three years after it first announced plans to open its first store in the Tri-Cities. The company’s Kennewick plans stalled when it went through bankruptcy and was acquired by a new group that includes Simon Property Group, the mall operator that owns Columbia Center. 

The store occupies an 11,800-square-foot space that underwent a $1.3 million remodel. 

Weeks ago another major mall tenant, sewing and craft retailer Joann, declared bankruptcy for the second time in as many years and announced that it would close all its stores.