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The Center City North Face store is closing

The outdoor goods retailer is staying open through the holiday season before closing on Jan. 31.

Reflections of colorfully dress pedestrian along Walnut Street near the the North Face store in Center City in 2022.
Reflections of colorfully dress pedestrian along Walnut Street near the the North Face store in Center City in 2022.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
    by Nate File
    Published 

It may be time to buy your next winter coat, and not just because of some likely tariffs.

The North Face store on Walnut Street in Center City is closing, according to a filing with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The store, which has held its two-floored retail space at 1515 Walnut Street since 2009, will close after the holiday season on Jan. 31. The closure was first reported in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The outdoor retailer will still operate two other locations nearby in Cherry Hill and at the King of Prussia Mall. Seventeen employees will be laid off with the store’s closure. VF Corp., the owner of North Face and several other apparel brands like Vans, Timberland, and Dickies, did not respond to a request for comment.

» READ MORE: Philadelphians want Zara, Abercrombie, and Nordstrom stores, says Center City District

An employee working at the North Face store said Wednesday she was not sure whether there will be upcoming sales related to the closure beyond the store’s current Black Friday deals.

The closure doesn’t appear to be related to shoppers’ lack of interest in brick-and-mortar retailers, as Center City foot traffic has rebounded near its pre-COVID levels, according to the Center City District. According to the CCD’s annual retail survey, the area has maintained a steady retail occupancy rate of 83%.