All Ricki's, Cleo clothing stores closing in B.C. as company files for creditor protection

B.C.’s shopping landscape may look a lot different this year.

Amid a sluggish start to 2025, several Canadian clothing retailers have announced plans for store closures and restructuring.

Comark Holdings Inc. the company behind longtime apparel outposts Bootlegger,?Ricki’s and Cleo has reportedly filed court applications for creditor protections.

All 75 Ricki’s stores and 54 Cleo stores across the country will be shuttered, according to The Canadian Press. The Ricki’s website lists 12 locations, spanning Vancouver Island to Prince George, currently operating in B.C.

A notice posted to the top of both websites for the women’s fashion retailers, rickis.com and cleo.ca, advised that, as of Jan. 17, shoppers will not be able to make returns, use gift cards or redeem/receive loyalty points in its stores and online.

Comark also operates 20 combined Ricki’s/Cleo locations and approximately 19 sites split with Bootlegger, a denim-focussed retailer founded in Vancouver in 1971, which includes 53 stand-alone shops. The court filings note plans to close some Bootlegger stores in the future, as well.

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ont., Comark acquired Winnipeg-based Ricki’s in 1982 and Cleo in 1994, according to Retail Insider. The Canadian retail news outlet reported Comark had previously filed for creditor protection in 2020 and 2015.

Montreal-based UCG Canada Holdings Inc., the company behind the contemporary men’s and women’s brand Frank and Oak, has made similar court protection applications. The clothing brand boasts 15 stores across Canada, including two stores in B.C.’s Gastown and Kitsilano neighbourhoods.

Echoing Comark’s claims that business was unable to recover following the global pandemic, UCG Canada Holdings Inc. plans to restructure the business surrounding the men’s and womenswear brand.

The latest news adds to an increasingly tumultuous retail story in Canada that’s included the planned closure of five Toys “R” Us stores in Ontario, the closure of some of The Body Shop Canada stores, and the closure of Calgary-headquartered women’s fashion retailer Bellissima.

A statement on the company’s website notes Bellissima is currently closed for business. Founded in 1981, the online statement remarks there’s hope it will “return at some point in the future.”

— With files from The Canadian Press