Eddie Bauer may close another 30 stores

NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Eddie Bauer may close another 30 stores if a New York bankruptcy court approves a motion filed by its parent company, Spiegel.

The Pugent Sound Business Journal reported Tuesday Spiegel had not finalized the list of candidates for closure, but landlords at the targeted stores will be notified by Dec. 17. The company has already shuttered 60 Eddie Bauer stores.

To keep the pending closures under wraps during the crucial pre-Christmas selling period, Spiegel said it may wait until Dec. 30 to notify the court of the specific stores to be closed. Liquidation sales would begin by Jan. 9, if the court approves.

Comparable-store sales at Eddie Bauer, based in Redmond, Wash., during the five-week period ending Nov. 29 fell 8 percent from the same period last year, Spiegel reported last week. The company currently operates 470 stores, according to its latest bankruptcy court filings.