Trunk Club is closing its standalone retail stores as its parent company Nordstrom folds the styling service into its department stores.
Nordstrom said during its latest earnings call Tuesday that it will close all six of Trunk Club's stores in Chicago, Boston, Dallas, New York, L.A. and Washington, D.C.
"...we are fully integrating our Trunk Club service to enable a superior experience for customers, drive more business, and gain efficiencies," CEO Erik Nordstrom said during the earnings call.
Nordstrom plans to continue offering Trunk Club's signature trunk-based styling services at nearby Nordstrom stores.
Trunk Club, founded in 2009, grew to one of Chicago's most high-profile consumer startups before being acquired by Nordstrom in 2014 for $350 million. It gained popularity for its service that connects users with personal stylists and ships items to their door. However, in 2016 Nordstrom took a $197 million write-down on Trunk Club, saying the business was worth just $150 million.
Trunk Club laid off 250 people in 2016, and co-founder Brian Spaly left the company in January 2017.
Trunk Club's Chicago store will close on May 18, a spokesperson told the Tribune, adding that the company has not decided on the fate of the Trunk Club branding. Any employees who aren't hired by Nordstrom will be given a separation package, according to the Tribune.
Nordstrom's stock was down around 1.7% Wednesday afternoon.
