The business struggles caused by the pandemic have caused another retailer casualty, this time in the form of the popular New York and Philadelphia store Century 21. As reported by Katie Park of the Philadelphia Inquirer it is another blow to PREIT, who owns the Plymouth Meeting and Willow Grove Malls as well as Center City’s Fashion District Mall that Century 21 has been a part of since 2014.

In discussing the bankruptcy, Century 21 chief executive Raymond Gindi attributes the demise of the store to a lack of support from their insurance, who did not pay $175 million in business interruption costs for lost sales during the shutdowns in the spring and summer.

“We are confident that had we received any meaningful portion of the insurance proceeds,” said Gindi, “we would have been able to save thousands of jobs and weather the storm, in hopes of another incredible recovery.”

As department stores struggle to remain the big attraction to malls that they once were, PREIT has tried to substitute them with other exciting options. Century 21 was one such option, but even with the store’s demise it likely won’t deter PREIT for long.

At their Plymouth Meeting Mall property, they lost Macy’s but soon filled that gap with recognizable names like the Burlington Coat Factory, Michael’s, Edge Fitness, Dick’s, and Miller’s Ale House.

It remains to be seen what PREIT will have in store to replace Century 21.

To learn more about the fallout that Century 21 closing will have, check out the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article by clicking here.

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