Mervyn's, Boscov's File Chapter 11

By JCK Online Staff -- JCK Online, 9/1/2008 2:00:00 AM

Two regional department store chains, Mervyn's and Boscov's, both recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Mervyn's, based in Hayward, Calif., filed in July. It operates more than 177 stores in seven states located primarily in regional malls, community shopping centers, and freestanding sites. The stores provide a mix of national brands and exclusive private labels.

The company said it has received a commitment for a $465 million debtor-in-possession facility from a lender group led by Wachovia Capital Finance Corp.

Jewelry and watch brands carried by the retailer include Armitron, Citizen, Disney, Guess, Relic, Seiko/Pulsar, and Timex.

Boscov's, which filed at the beginning of August, will immediately close 10 of its 49 stores, the company said. It will borrow as much as $250 million from a group of lenders led by Bank of America Corp. to help it restructure.

The department-store chain operates stores in six states and employs 9,500. It was founded in 1911 in Reading, Pa., and claims to be the biggest family-owned full-service department store chain in the United States.