Outdoor Voices will close all of its retail store locations on March 17, The Latest York Times first reported. The report is predicated on information from 4 employees at 4 different stores.
An internal memo shared with employees stated “Outdoor Voices is embarking on a brand new chapter as we transition to an exclusively online business,” Axios reported. Outdoor Voices didn’t reply to Digital Commerce 360’s request for comment.
Outdoor Voices is No. 675 within the Top 1000. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s rating of North America’s leading online retailers by their web sales. In it, Digital Commerce 360 places Outdoor Voices within the Apparel/Accessories category.
When will Outdoor Voices stores close?
The athletic apparel retailer has 15 retail locations, in response to its website on March 14. Those locations include Boston, Chicago, and Austin, Texas, where Outdoor Voices is headquartered. The web site also lists a location in Miami that’s “coming soon.”
All locations will close permanently by 5 p.m. on March 17, Axios reported. As of publication, Outdoor Voices has job openings posted online for nine of its stores.
Outdoor Voices’ troubled history
Ty Haney founded Outdoor Voices in 2014 and have become CEO of the athleisure company, which gained a following on social media.
Outdoor Voices raised tens of millions in funding and earned comparisons to athleisure giant Lululemon (No. 27 within the Top 1000). By 2018, the corporate was valued at $118 million. That plummeted to $40 million in 2020, at which point Haney exited the corporate. Following her exit, the retailer laid off 15 employees. Haney was replaced by interim CEO Cliff Moskowitz. The retailer named former Urban Outfitters president Gabrielle Conforti its latest CEO in 2021.
Since leaving, Haney has publicly criticized the corporate she founded. In August 2023, she told Latest York Magazine, “It’s form of sickening to see how low it’s [Outdoor Voices] gotten … I feel sad for it.”
Other DTC retailers are struggling too
Outdoor Voices isn’t the one direct-to-consumer (DTC) company from the 2010s having a troubled 12 months to this point. Footwear retailer Allbirds just announced a CEO change following 1 / 4 of declining revenue. Allbirds also detailed a plan to transform the corporate and drive profitability.
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